Ms Cross's Home For Adopted Stories - Into the Moonlight
by Flutterbycross
Summary: Rosewood is a place of secrets, lies, and werewolves. Aria Montgomery is happy with her chosen mate, Jason Dilaurentis. Soon, they will be bound together for life. But when the handsome and mysterious Ezra Fitz moves to town, Aria's heart is torn. The past looms large to torment and guide them all to past tragedies and dangerous futures. Disclaimer: None of PLL is mine, sigh.
1. When I'm Not a Wolf

**A/N: Welcome to my second adopted story. It was originally written by oOoXTheLikelySuspectXoOo. She wrote the first two chapters and I fell in love with it. I don't even like werewolves, usually. Since there were only 2 chapters I am posting them here. I did make some changes to them in order to set-up the story the way I imagine it. The differences are minor, but if you want to read the original, it's "Into The Moon Light" by oOoXTheLikelySuspectXoOo. Enjoy**

Aria stared hungrily at the full moon. She could already feel her body changing, contorting to fit the monthly state she was required to meet. A thick moan ripped from her chest as she felt her skin tightening. It was pain and pleasure in an extremely powerful mix.

She began to pant and let out short breaths as she bent back, arching her chest towards the cratered circle in the sky. With one more teeth clenching, toe curling, mind numbing rip it had happened. She looked down into the moonlit creek to which she had scampered.

She was no longer the well-endowed, dark haired teenager she had been only moments before. She was now a silver, hauntingly beautiful, wolf. Her amber eyes peered back at her and she motioned her snout towards the luminous beauty above her, letting out an ear-splitting bellow.

It was mere seconds before Jason was at her side. His brown/blond shaggy fur mussed around him and even in wolf form his green eyes were still the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They nipped playfully at each other's neck before bounding off into the thick brush.

 _Across town_

Ezra Fitz slammed down 2 twenties, more than covering the 5 scotches he had knocked back. He was barely drunk, but he had no time. He could already feel the changes pulling him away. He wouldn't hurt someone on purpose, but if he were around any of these bar flies when he transitioned, it would happen. As he trudged out he glanced down at his aching arm, realizing as he saw the claws beginning to push out from his nails, it was happening NOW.

He jogged away into the thick forests behind the bar. As he tore his clothes off, finding no release from the fire inside him, he began to scrape his nails and push his fingers harshly against his skin. This was the worst part; when it wouldn't happen fast enough, and he was left with the maddening feeling of tight skin and swelling muscles, it raged him out of his mind. This was the reason he tried to drink himself into a coma every full moon, why he cursed his father every day of his life, why he could never find happiness.

 _Deeper in the forest_

Aria ran through the woods, blood still on her teeth from the rabbit she and Jason had just devoured. She let out a wolfly chortle as she noticed Jason was behind her. _Keep up!_ She thought to him. _You're just faster because you're younger!_ He shot back. She smiled internally. She was a good mile in front of him and would have made it further if she hadn't pulled up mid stride. She slowed, even moving slightly behind a tree as she took in the scene in front of her. A naked man was crumpled in the meadow before her. She was so deep into the thick woods she was surprised he had even found his way here. It became obvious why he had though.

Scream after scream ripped from the man's throat. He arched every point of his body up towards the moon. Aria watched in a mix of enthusiasm and astonishment as she watched the strange man morph into a black wolf, much like herself only much bigger. The wolf bowed his head into the soft, cool grass.

Even though it only felt like seconds it must have been much longer because Jason was suddenly at her side. _Leave him, he's not part of our pack._

Aria looked up at him. _I think he's lost. We should help him._

 _No, Aria._

She clenched her teeth. As demeaning as it was and as much as she truly hated it, when they were in wolf form Jason's word was law. That was a law amongst all wolves. They were mates, and Jason was the male. She glared at him and sashayed past him as he gave a final look at the black wolf, still a crumpled lump, and followed her. They ran for hours before falling asleep near the cherry blossom orchard near the ocean side.

Aria's eyes fluttered open as she inhaled the subtle sweet scent of the woods around her. She felt Jason's strong arm over her naked body as she glanced up at the airy, lavender sky. She smiled, looking down at her pale, hairless arms and her wavy, navel length dark brown hair. Jason's arm tightened slightly around her, signaling that he was awake. "You are so beautiful," he whispered against her back, sending shivers along her spine.

"When I'm not a wolf." She smiled sadly.

He propped himself up on his elbow to look at her. "Whenever. When you're a wolf…" he bent down and kissed her bare shoulder. "And when you're a human." She smiled as he picked a small pink petal from her hair. She would have been content to stay here all day, but she had school today, yay, and had to get home.

"Will you help me find my clothes?" Aria laughed. Jason smiled and kissed the tip of her nose helping her up. They had been together so long, nudity no longer bothered them, but Aria still felt slightly shy that somehow someone would see them. When they got to Aria's pile of clothes, Aria's phone alerted her that it was seven a.m., she let out a grunt.

"My car's near the train tracks; I'll come get you when I find my pants." He smiled. Jason bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the neck before jogging off to find the jeep. He got back to her quickly. Sometimes he seemed faster in human form than wolf.

"Y'know, my dad is going to be pissed when he realizes I didn't get home last night," she giggled.

Jason laughed, "He'll live. He knows I can take care of you."

"I think . . ." she laughed, putting her hand on his upper thigh, "That's what he's pissed about." Jason just smirked and pulled up her hand, giving it a gentle kiss as he began driving. Aria put on Jewel's "Absence of Fear", it was a song Aria had always liked and it had been playing in her head when she woke up. She sang along with the haunting, yet hopeful, ballad. "Inside my heart there's an empty room. It's waiting for lightning, it's waiting for you and…I am wanting, I am needing you here, inside the absence of fear." Jason sighed and smiled at his girlfriend.

"Your voice is so much better than hers. You make that song sound like a prayer. How do you get so into it?" Aria hesitated, she didn't really understand it, either. She wasn't waiting for anything. She had her mate, she was happy. But the song had always resonated so deeply in her heart that she could almost feel that emptiness waiting to be filled. She smiled at Jason, lovingly.

"Jewel's voice is beautiful, but her real power is in her words. The imagery is just so vivid, it kind of carries me away." She hoped he wouldn't think too deeply on the lyrics. She'd never been uncomfortable singing it in front of him before, why now?

Aria's house came into view and Jason pulled up to the garage door. "Am I picking you up after school?" He asked as she hopped out.

"Nope. We're getting a new teacher and Hanna heard from a little bird that he's a babe so she's probably going to make all of us pull an all-nighter with her to dissect him." Aria giggled. She came around the front of the jeep to give Jason a deep kiss before running off into her house. "Love, you." She smiled.

"Love you more, Cher." Jason had Cajun roots and threw different words around at times because he knew Aria loved it. He didn't pull away till she was inside the house. "Late night with Jason?" Her father commented, coffee in hand.

"Daddy, nothing happened. You know he makes it better." He knew what she meant. She had gotten the gene from him. "He's really good to me, Daddy. You know that. You've seen how he protects me at pack outings."

Byron shook his head, "I know, Baby. I just don't like seeing you grow up." Aria smirked at him and ran upstairs. Once her door was shut, she stripped from her clothes and dug her phone from her skirt pocket and left it on the vanity table. Aria debated having a shower but decided deodorant and perfume would have to do till later. She raked through her closet and decided on some skinny jeans and her lavender spaghetti strap to the gathered at the waist, then flowed out like a waterfall of sheath. It went well with her moonstone necklace, which was the only thing that would stop her from being an all-out freak over the next couple days.

Another thing about being a werewolf? The libido was a huge pain in the ass. Basically, for about three days after the full moon, you want to fuck anything that moves. Unless you have a moonstone. It's a semiprecious stone that, for whatever reason, can absorb and hold energy. Jason had given it to her after the first time she turned. "Trust me . . ." he had said. "You don't want to be without this."

In her life she had never seen her father wear a moonstone. So, she thought Jason was being melodramatic. Until she left it at Spencer's one day. One day was all it took and thank God that one day had been a Sunday. She had spent all day locked in her room doing everything she could to relieve the endless torment. She was too embarrassed to go to her mother with the problem. She texted Spencer and Spencer dropped the necklace off that evening. Aria asked her mom about her dad's lack of jewelry and Ella smiled. Byron wasn't comfortable wearing any accessories beyond his wedding ring and his watch. So, Ella put small pockets in the waistband of several pairs of Byron's pants. He carried the moonstone in the pocket pressing against his hip.

Aria shook her head at the memory and clasped the stone around her neck. She felt the difference immediately, even though she hadn't even known it had begun. She immediately felt cooler and even a little . . . cleaner. She jammed several things into her bag and grabbed her white sandals, running down the stairs barefoot. "Bye, Mom, Dad . . . where's Mike?" She noticed her little brother's absence immediately. Ella and Byron looked at each other and she knew.

"No . . ." Aria whispered. They nodded. It had happened, he had turned. Not that she particularly liked her brother, but she did love him, and she didn't want that burden on him. But what was done was done. "He upstairs?" she asked.

Ella nodded, "We're gonna keep him home a few days, it's . . . harder for boys."

"Well, at least he has a pierced ear. I can grab him a moonstone earring before school if you want." Aria remembered having to all but sedate Jason to get him a piercing. Up until that moment he had worn this gaudy wrist-bandish monstrosity. "You look like a wanna be Back Street Boy." She had said, convincing him to toss it.

Byron got 2 fifties from his wallet and passed them to her. "You can use the change to get yourself something, too."

"Thanks, Daddy, love you both." She pecked each of their cheeks and left. Aria noticed she had a while before school started and grabbed a coffee from the Starbucks drive-thru before driving to Bon Dieu Divinities, the freaky occult store several blocks from the school.

"Maddie, pop the bubbly, there's a new howler in our midst." She smiled at the woman behind the counter. Madeleine Romelus was a fifty-year-old practitioner of Vodun as well as the daughter of a prominent werewolf but somehow, she had missed the gene, but she had serviced the community for years.

She smirked, "Poor baby. What he need?" She had a thick Haitian accent which, to all of the small-minded Rosewoodies, made her even less credible. Aria often felt bad for the family friend.

"I need a moonstone earring for him but make it cheap because I want some stuff too, and I only have a $100." Maddie smiled and looked into the display case. Maddie had every color of moonstone, white, gold, peach, gray, and black. She also had variations, stones that looked almost pink, amber, blue, etc. They were all so beautiful and, like most Wolves, Aria was drawn to them.

"Cheapest one I have is forty dollars." She pulled out a medium-sized gray square stud. Most moonstone jewelry that people buy use stones with a lot of occlusions, imperfections and fractures within the stone. They are way cheaper, and they look pretty, for sure, but to contain the amount of energy required, their moonstones needed to be closer to transparent. Some lykoi still used the less expensive stones, but it was usually in the form of a belt or necklace with stones all around. Aria didn't think Mike would appreciate accessories like that.

Aria smiled, "Perfect. I'm going to look around really quick." She twirled the stud in her fingers as she looked around. Suddenly something caught her eye. But it wasn't jewelry, or candles, or anointing oils. It was the man from the woods.

 **This story is going to be so much fun to write. I hope you liked the first chapter. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or want to know any of my sources for research. I will be as accurate as I can be in terms of established lore and terminology. Corrections are welcome, ideas and suggestions are as well. Please review, blessings to all.**


	2. Those Eyes Looked Familiar

**A/N: This chapter is the other chapter by the O.A. Again, I did make changes from the original. But I only made changes I felt were necessary to have the first 2 chapters flow into the rest of the story. The vast majority of this chapter is still hers. It is short, I will try to get up chapter 3 this weekend.**

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Aria's body shuddered with a disturbingly unfamiliar feeling. This man, this strange man, was the same black wolf she had seen some eight hours ago in the density of the Rosewood Pines.

"Hello, handsome boy. What you look for 'round here? I've not seen you before!" Maddie exclaimed. The man smiled. Aria was staring quite hard. She sniffed the air for his scent, but Maddie always had heavy incense wafting around her store. He might not even realize another lykoi was present, she couldn't see his eyes.

He was dressed smartly in a tailored pair of gray, linen slacks, a crisp shirt with lovely lavender hues that, oddly, matched Aria's blouse, and a gray linen vest to match. His thick, black hair in boyish curls around his strong face and jaw. "I'm new to the area and hear tell you cater to the needs of a . . . special few?" mortal, non-lycanthropic daughter born to a Haitian pack leader? It led many to question her true lineage, but she had earned her reputation as an expert on Wolves and a practitioner of Vodun.

"I thought 'dose eyes looked familiar. You de boy of-"

"Yes" the man looked down, jaw clenched and obviously agitated by something. "My name is Ezra." 'What a beautiful name,' Aria thought. "I hate to be so brash, but I'm in quite a hurry and need a moonstone. In the form of a man's ring would be best."

Maddie quickly produced a gorgeously crafted platinum band centered with a large black moonstone and a smaller offset white moonstone that looked to be worth several thousand dollars. It looked like something a king of a world that didn't really exist would wear. It was far too . . . fantastical. Ezra pondered it. "You . . .?"

"Aye," Maddie smiled. "Your papa were a dear friend of mine in our youths. I'll spare you dah details of how dis came into my possession but now you come 'round here . . . fine time it be in yours, you think?" She placed it in his hand, closing it with her small, brown hands. "Now, go do what's got you busy, boy. Be not a stranger if yeh know what's best for ya." She winked as he smiled a departing glance.

Aria exhaled, realizing for the first time that she had been holding her breath. "Who . . . who is he?"

Maddie's smile dropped. "Don't be so nosy, you. Don't you have school or sumpin?"

Aria blushed and handed Maddie a fifty for the earring, which she pushed away. "Take it, baby. A present for dah boy. Go buy yourself some a dat Sephora you be so in love with," she chuckled, leaning over to kiss Aria on the cheek and all but pushing her out the door.

Eight minutes and two Kidneytheives songs later, Aria skipped up the steps of Rosewood High, half of her caramel macchiato still left. She needed her calcium strong to head into the next few days. Her three beautiful best friends were huddled by her locker, waiting. "Hey, baby cakes, why are you so late?" Hanna smiled.

"Starbucks calling" Aria laughed nervously. Even these three girls, who she could honestly say she trusted with her life didn't know her secret. It was beyond dangerous.

"Wellllll," Hanna continued. "We're all eagerly awaiting the unveiling of our new English teacher."

"Yeah, and Hanna has ten bucks that he's blonde." Spencer snorted.

Emily scoffed, "Like twenty-something blonde guys even know what books are, let alone want to teach an English class." Spencer and Emily both cracked-up.

"Yeah . . . unless he's smarter than the average bear and is strolling for some young pu-"

"Hanna!" Aria swatted her overly sexual bestie. Hanna just giggled and grabbed Aria around the shoulders as they all entered what was formerly known as Mrs. Mulligan's Senior AP Lit classroom.

"So, how is Jason?" Emily asked. Aria smiled, thinking of her mate.

"He's good, staying busy." Aria was always very vague when it came to Jason. The fewer details she gave them, the better.

All of a sudden, a powerful tremor ran through Aria's body. Her petite nose wiggled, and she turned quickly, leaning into the scent before she could realize what she was doing. Her big eyes landed on the cause of the reaction. The same strange man, Ezra, stood in the doorway of the classroom. He inhaled sharply, returning the same unusual behavior as Aria. After what seemed an eternity deep blue eyes found large hazel eyes, and his gaze nearly knocked her backward, it was so powerful. Thousands of images raced through Aria's mind. A large, black wolf and its small silver counterpart chasing, running and morphing into two naked, beautiful, human beings. A portrait of physical and emotional passion. An indescribable sense of unity. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed.

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 **True love, baby, just can't kill it. Chapter 3 is Ezra's and it will show this same moment from his perspective. Chapter 3 onward is all mine and it is still very much a work in progress. Please review, please review. Every time a review is written, somewhere a sex scene is created. And you really, really want to see what I have planned, trust me. Blessings to all.**


	3. We're Not Talking About Fruit

**A/N: From here on, the story is all mine. Thank you to the people who have said that they are liking this story even though they don't usually go in for werewolves. That's exactly how I felt when I read it. I will do my best to keep that going. There are so many other things that I want to say, but they're all kind of spoilers. So, I will shut my trap and let you read in peace.**

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Chapter 3

Ezra sat in the staff parking lot at Rosewood High. He stared down at his hand in disbelief. His father's ring, Ezra hadn't seen it since he was 5 years old and had no expectations of ever seeing it again. It was like a religious relic, full of history and portent, holding a mystical energy of either blessing or curse. Ezra would put his money on the latter. His memory of it had been faded and indistinct like a worn old photograph, kept only because it was the only one he had. The moment the shop owner showed the ring to him, however, the image had been restored, and he felt as if it had been a matter of days, not decades, since he last saw it. The ring was large and ostentatious, the black stone was carved and had a picture of wolves running through the woods under the full moon, the moon was a white moonstone. Though beautifully crafted, Ezra would never have picked it in a million years. It was a ring of celebration, celebration of self, of power, of money. It was the ring of a man certain that life would bring him all he wanted, certain that he was deserving of all he had. The pursuit of power and money was the reason Ezra existed at all, and he hated knowing that. And this ring celebrated the part of himself that had controlled and suppressed his life since he was a small child, long before anyone knew if it was his destiny.

Ezra should hate the ring, he should toss it into the trash and get something modest and subdued, far more in keeping with his tastes and demeanor. But this ring had been his father's and so now was his. The restored image in Ezra's mind was not just of the ring, but of the man wearing it. The man was the subject of Ezra's worst nightmares, a monster hiding in the darkness waiting for the perfect moment to destroy Ezra completely. But the man was also his father, a man shrouded in mystery for Ezra. Aside from the memories that Ezra had managed to hold onto through all these years, he knew virtually nothing about William Channing Fitzgerald. He'd left when Ezra was 5 and Wesley was only 1. Ezra's mother, Dianne, would not acknowledge that her husband had ever existed. There wasn't a single picture of William anywhere in his house, growing up. No one ever mentioned him, except for a very young and confused Ezra. But he soon learned that none of his questions would be answered. For years he wondered if everyone else had actually forgotten that he and Wesley had a father, once. Ezra's silent questions never stopped gnawing at him, though, especially after he presented at 16.

That memory forced Ezra to shut everything down, in his head. Thinking about that had the power to put him in a foul mood for the whole day and Ezra couldn't afford that. He had waited for this teaching position, he didn't want to come across as surly the very first time he met his students and the other teachers. Taking a few calming breaths, Ezra turned his music on for just a minute. "Happiness" by the Fray played over the speakers. It was Ezra's favorite song, because it soothed him and helped him to remember the small flame of hope that still burned in his heart. There were so many times that Ezra was certain it had been extinguished for good, but when Ezra quieted himself, he could feel it. Getting this job, moving to Rosewood, were born out of that little glowing light, and Ezra was going to try as hard as he could to succeed here. Ezra gathered his things and got out of the car. He stared up at the imposing building. Ezra felt nervous energy building inside himself and it made him laugh. Being nervous about starting a new job was so _normal_ , Ezra Fitz, normal, boring, English teacher. It sounded good to him.

The office staff was very friendly and helpful. It helped that the staff was predominately female. Ezra knew that when he was put together and in a decent mood, he made a good impression. Principal Hackett stepped out of his office to say hello, and Ezra was feeling confident and welcome as he walked to his new classroom. When Ezra rounded the corner, his nose began to twitch. He could smell, something, it was pine, and cherry blossom. It was fresh-turned earth and coffee. But under all of that it was warm, sweet, feminine, and musky. It was almost animalistic and somehow familiar. The part of Ezra's brain that didn't think, so much as urge pulled him toward the scent. There was a spot in front of some lockers where the aroma was stronger, but Ezra knew that it was coming from his classroom. He had a better sense of smell than most people and he had no doubt why, but he'd never experienced a scent that drew him in and seemed so new and familiar at the same time. He stopped in the doorway and saw a room full of students, his students. Waves of the fragrance rolled over Ezra and became intoxicating.

Time froze as Ezra dragged his eyes across the room, almost afraid of what would happen when he finally saw her. His gaze collided with the windows and he shifted it down to find her. He saw glossy mahogany hair, glistening and sparkling in the sunlight. He saw pale, smooth skin and then their eyes connected. She was staring at him, no, not at, into him. Her eyes were large and innocent. They were an amazing pale green with amber at the center. An onslaught of images seemed to come from her eyes into Ezra's mind. He saw flashes of a large black wolf running alongside a smaller, sleek, silver wolf. He saw them following, chasing, and nuzzling each other. He saw them laying side by side and dissolving into a man and woman lying intertwined. They were like 2 halves of a whole, their energies perfectly overlapped. They were kissing and caressing with a passion that burned like the sun.

Ezra yanked his mind away from the visions and back to where he was. He gripped the doorframe to keep himself upright and to tie himself more firmly to this reality. He was winded like he'd just run a mile. He looked back at _her_ to find she had her eyes closed, she was clutching her chair and desk and was as out of breath as he was. Ezra had no idea how long he'd stood in the doorway, but he knew he needed to move. Ripping his eyes away from the chocolate-haired beauty was physically painful, but he forced himself. His mind was reeling, and he was surprised he could walk over to his desk without stumbling or falling down. She was a werewolf, she was like him. But she was so much more than that. The faces in the visions were indistinct and blurred, but Ezra knew, he _knew_ that he was the man and that this girl was the woman. It was impossible and insane, but that didn't change what Ezra knew. What the hell was that?

Ezra set his things down and walked to the board. He wrote Mr. Fitz in large letters and slowly felt his equilibrium returning. He turned back around and really faced his class for the first time. Nearly everyone had their attention on him and none of the students' faces looked scared or weirded out. Ezra dared to hope that what had transpired between him and their classmate had actually gone unnoticed. The expressions he saw were polite, curious, expectant. Several of the girls were smiling up at him. Two of them, a brunette in the front of the room and a blonde sitting close to _her_ were looking at him in a hungry, predatory way. It was good to know right off the bat the girls he would need to avoid. _She_ wasn't looking at him but out the window. It was just as well, he needed to actually start class, not get into another staring match.

"Hello, my name is Mr. Fitz and I am your new English teacher. I understand that Mrs. Mulligan was just starting on Hamlet with you and I am excited to get into that, but I am brand new here in Rosewood, so I would like to spend this first class getting to know you a bit. A lot, if not most, of you have gone to school together since elementary school. So, try to think of things about yourself that your classmates don't know, yet." Several students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Ezra came around his desk and sat on it, facing everyone.

"Obviously, I will go first. As I said, I'm Mr. Fitz. Up until now I lived my entire life in New York City. I have a master's in English Lit from Columbia University, and my favorite movie was made all the way back in 1934. It's called It Happened One Night." A shocked gasp came from Ezra's left and he looked toward the windows. He again found himself staring into _her_ beautiful, hazel eyes. She looked as shocked as her gasp had sounded. She knew the movie? It was unlikely, but she was reacting to _something_. Ezra was still breathing her in, though he was trying to let awareness of the scent fade away. He needed to know who she was. He smiled warmly at her and she blushed and smiled back. Well that had been a big mistake. Her smile was luminous, everything around her dimmed in comparison. Ezra turned back to the rest of the class, so his heart would resume beating and he could think, again.

"So, does anyone want to volunteer to go next?" As expected, his students looked at each other seeing who would step up, terrified if someone didn't, they might get called on. Unexpectedly, a hand went up. Ezra looked, and it was _her_. ' _She's bold,_ ' Ezra thought. Suddenly another thought hit him. ' _She loves apricots.'_ "A willing victim? Excellent!" Several of the kids chuckled, including _her._ "Ok, please tell everyone your name, which part of English interests you the most, and a fact about yourself that could reasonably be called, unusual. Oh, and please end with your favorite fruit." That was weird, but Ezra needed to know if he was correct. She cocked her head to the side for a second, examining him. Her gaze felt like a heat ray. Then she shrugged her shoulders and began speaking.

"My name is Aria Montgomery, the part of English that interests me most is all of it. There isn't a single part of English that doesn't interest me. I think I could consider that an unusual fact about myself. But I'll go with, I fell in love with English after my babysitter, Simone, made me read the Exorcist, when I was 9." Kids all around the room laughed. Ezra was floored, her voice was as beautiful and musical as her name. She was funny and a natural storyteller. She'd pulled her audience in and gotten them to respond in only 4 sentences. She was incredible.

"And your favorite fruit? And then go ahead and pick who goes next," Ezra reminded her, hoping that his voice would remain steady.

"Oh, right, sorry. My favorite fruit is apricot. You're up Em." He wanted to pay attention, he really did, but he needed a second. He'd been right, how? Did Aria understand what was going on? She seemed as stunned as he was, but if this was a werewolf thing, she'd likely know better than he. A beautiful girl sitting directly in front of Aria, with dark hair and a tanned complexion, started talking.

"My name is Emily Fields, to me, the most interesting part of English is probably poetry. My first words were, 'go swim'. And I love peaches."

Emily smiled, but a boy said, snidely, "Oh, we _all_ know you do, Emily." The mood in the room changed in an instant. The girls sitting around Emily turned death glares on a non-descript boy sitting near the back door of the classroom. A few guys snickered, but girls near them smacked them and they stopped. Ezra did not know what had just happened, but he could hear Aria making an almost growling sound. It was low enough that he was probably the only one who could hear it, but it let him know the situation needed to be reeled back in.

Emily, however, seemed unlikely to accept protection. She laughed and tossed her hair, "Aw, poor Davey. How many times did Maya turn you down, before she and I got together? Oh, and her last relationship before me was a guy, so theoretically you should have had a chance. Spencer? Do you wanna go, next?" Far more than a few kids laughed, this time. Davey turned bright red and sank down in his seat, looking like he wanted to disappear. Ezra wished he would. He understood the situation now and was impressed with how Emily handled herself. Her friend, Spencer, leaned toward her and gave her a high five. Aria wrapped her arms around Emily's shoulders and hugged her. Ezra was certain Aria was the only one in the class that was a werewolf, putting that label on her felt wrong, but she was clearly very close with her friends. Ezra wondered how Aria managed to make that work. Did her friends know?

"My name is Spencer Hastings. The most interesting part of English, for me, is to put novels into historical context with when they were written. I've had three horses over the course of my life and named them all Dauphin. My favorite fruit is, blueberries. Hanna?"

The blonde that was paying a little more attention to Ezra than he was comfortable with, took her turn. "I'm Hanna Marin, the best part of English is getting help from Aria and Spencer because they actually understand Shakespeare. I can say, 'I'll buy all of them' in 8 different languages. And my favorite fruit is an orange. Mona, hit it." The next girl to go was the brunette huntress. Ezra was concerned that they were friends, but Mona was on the other side of the room, so she wasn't a part of Aria's group. Nothing made it Aria's group except that Ezra chose to think of them that way. Mona finished by stating her favorite fruit was a banana. The way she said it left little doubt that she wasn't really talking about fruit, but Ezra ignored it.

The rest of class was good. Ezra learned a little about each of his students. He definitely wouldn't remember all of it, especially because he was still a little, or a lot, distracted by the doe-eyed beauty by the window. After the last student was done, the bell was going to ring in just a few minutes. Ezra was about to launch into what he wanted the kids to be ready to discuss tomorrow, when said beauty raised her hand, again. Ezra was surprised, but he was trying very hard to not seem too interested in her. Still, when he called on her, to his ears it sounded like he was caressing her name. "Yes, Aria." Aria smiled a small, secretive smile.

"You didn't tell us your favorite fruit, Mr. Fitz." He probably imagined it, but the statement sounded suggestive. It was subtle, a totally reasonable thing to say, but it also sounded seductive, the effect Mona had been aiming for, but missed completely. Ezra couldn't help but look directly at Aria as he answered.

"You're right, thank-you for reminding me. My favorite fruit is the plum." When Ezra responded, Aria mouthed the word, plum, as he said it. She'd known, somehow. Somehow, they were connected, and it felt amazing and devastating at the same time. He was her teacher, he was at least 7 years older than she was. He was, running out of time to finish class. "Ok, thanks everybody. It was great to meet all of you. Tonight, reread the opening scene of Hamlet and imagine how you would respond if the spirit of a loved one visited you and told you they needed you to do something dreadfully difficult, but important, for them. You don't have to write anything down but be ready to discuss." The bell rang over the word "important", but the students were respectful enough to not make noise until Ezra finished. Ezra watched as Aria and her friends were packing up, and his heart clenched knowing Aria was leaving.

"Miss Montgomery, could I speak with you for a moment?" Aria's friends all looked surprised at the request, but Aria had obviously seen it coming. She nodded her head, giving him a knowing look, and responded in a carefree voice.

"Of course, Mr. Fitz. I'll catch up later, guys." Aria smiled at her friends, but they looked at her and at Ezra in a considering, almost suspicious, way. Ezra needed to cover this for both their sakes. After all, Aria's friends might know nothing of her…condition.

Before the three girls reached the door, Ezra said in a clear and audible voice, "So, Miss Montgomery, Mrs. Mulligan was telling me that you had an interest in…" He spoke until the girls had made it a bit down the hall then he lowered his voice and finished, "full moons and moonstones, which I see you're wearing." Aria looked down at the necklace and smiled.

"I like your ring. I've never seen anything like it." Ezra cringed, afraid that she was only being polite.

"It was my father's. It's not really my taste, but, anyway… I knew we were "the same" as soon as I saw you," Ezra cut off waiting to find out if Aria had known as well. He really wanted to ask about the visions, but he felt like he should tread carefully. If she saw what he saw, especially the passion and nudity, they shouldn't discuss it at school, or maybe ever. That thought sounded even more impossible than the visions, though. Aria looked surprised and maybe a bit confused.

"Of course, you did. Don't you always?" Aria's response felt like a half-answer to Ezra.

"Don't I always…" He hoped that that would elicit some explanation because he was lost and didn't like feeling that way.

"Don't you always know when you meet another lykoi?" Aria didn't sound like she was poking fun, she was genuinely confused. Ezra tried to answer in a way that didn't make him seem like an even bigger idiot.

"I haven't had much interaction with other people, like us. I don't know the term you used." Aria's eyes went wide, and Ezra was embarrassed, but he also felt himself falling into those eyes. They were so large and inviting. They were another world that Ezra had never seen, but knew, somehow, that it could be his home.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you about your heritage? Our heritage?" Aria asked this in hushed tones, seemingly aware of the ghosts she might be disturbing. Ezra tried not to shut himself off from her in that moment. She couldn't know how he'd grown up.

"It was only my father, my mother didn't know anything to tell me, I suppose. And I haven't seen my father since I was 5." Ezra knew there was no emotion in his voice, but it was the best he could do. Aria's beautiful mouth formed a large "O" and tears sprang to her eyes. Ezra hated that he was so pitiable, hated that he had made this angelic girl cry, and hated most of all that he couldn't hold her and kiss her. He had never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in his life.

"Oh, Ezra, I am so sorry. I can't imagine, what?" Aria cut off what she'd been saying, and Ezra realized he was looking at her strangely.

"How do you know my name is Ezra?" The look in Aria's eyes changed to fear and embarrassment. She blushed a deep red. Ezra didn't know what to make of it. Had she read his mind? Was that something a powerful werewolf could do? Ezra felt his natural distrust and suspicion creeping over him. "Aria?" Aria wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I was in Maddie's store this morning when you came in. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I also didn't want to disturb your conversation. I heard you tell Maddie your name was Ezra, that's all." Aria was clearly uncomfortable, what else had she heard?

"Did Maddie say anything to you about me after I left?" He had no reason to trust this Maddie woman. So, what if she had been friends with his father? Ezra didn't trust anything about his father. Aria shook her head.

"No, after you left I asked her who you were, since she said she knew your dad. But all she said was that I shouldn't be nosy and to get my butt to school. I'm sorry, Mr. Fitz, I didn't mean any harm, I swear." Ezra looked into Aria's eyes and knew she was telling the truth. He wasn't a great judge of those things, which was one of the reasons he made it a rule to not trust most people, but not trusting Aria felt inconceivable. He nodded his head.

"I believe you, Aria. It just caught me off-guard. Speaking of knowing things, though, how did I know that you love apricots? And how did you know my favorite fruit is plums?" Aria licked her lips and looked like she was trying to figure out what to say, when the bell rang. Aria jumped and looked at the clock above the door.

"Damn-it, I'm late for class. I'm sorry, I need to go." Ezra hadn't thought about it, he had his planning period this hour, but obviously Aria would have class. He felt the clenching in his heart, again, knowing that this time she really would leave.

"Of course, Aria, I'm sorry. That is completely my fault. Here, let me write you a pass." Aria smiled a weak smile.

"Thank you. We should, continue our conversation, soon. I'd be happy to tell you anything you want to know about…our heritage. And I can introduce you to my dad. He's kind of in charge, in our community. Here, this is my number. If you want to call me and, you know, talk." Aria blushed and handed Ezra a piece of paper while he handed her the late pass. Their hands brushed against each other and Ezra felt a surge of energy pulse through him. Unthinkingly, he reached out to touch her again. He needed to feel that energy, he needed to feel her, he needed to smell her and touch her and taste her. His hand met only air and he came to his senses in time to see Aria running from his classroom, mocha hair streaming behind her. This time, Ezra did fall. Then he sat on the floor for several minutes, head in his hands, silently begging for Aria to come back. He was completely screwed.

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 **So, they have met. They have sparked. They have more complications between them than usual. I find as I'm writing, the teacher/student issue is almost an afterthought. Oh, and I'm not sure how many there will be, but this will not be the only instance of seeing the same event from more than one character's perspective. Thank you so much for reading. Please review, more reviews = less Jason, fewer reviews = more Jason. NO, I'm kidding. I would never change the story based on number of reviews, or would I? Blessings to all.**


	4. It Belonged to Her

**A/N: It's the weekend, which means werewolves. Yes, I am abnormally attached to alliteration. Therefore, I have an idea that Thursday should be threesome day. It applies to a short series I'm writing that started with Inhibitions. I will start putting up the second story on Thursday. It is drama-free fluff and smut. Check it out. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.**

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Chapter 4

"Miss Montgomery, could I please ask you to return to this planet?" Aria turned to the front of the classroom and saw Mrs. Stewart staring daggers at her. She'd been "away with the fairies", as her mother was fond of saying. She cleared her throat and needlessly smoothed her top.

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Stewart. I will keep my attention here. Did you ask me something?" Aria looked at the clock and saw she was only half-way through her Economics class. She hoped if Mrs. Stewart had asked her anything, it was super easy. Aria had no idea what topic Mrs. Stewart was talking about. She hadn't even opened her book before the turmoil in her mind had dragged her back inside her head, as it had done in each of her other classes.

"If only you could focus on Economics as completely as you do on your daydreams. I asked if you could explain the difference between a deficit and a debt." Oh! Aria knew this, Jason had explained it to her when she was taking Government. Jason…No, focus.

"Of course, a deficit is the shortfall between revenue and expenses. Like, if I spent $200 on my credit card over the month, but I only made $150 to pay it back. $50 is my month's deficit. When the deficits are added together over time, the total is your debt." Aria's shoulders were nearly up to her ears by the time she finished talking. Mrs. Stewart studied Aria for a minute before her scowl faded to a more neutral expression and she nodded.

"I'm glad you were paying enough attention to learn that at some point, nicely explained." Mrs. Stewart turned back to the rest of the class and started talking about how the economy was affected by deficits and debt. Aria took slow, deep breaths and almost laughed when the image of using her deep breaths to blow down the 3 Little Pigs' houses, popped into her head. In the image she was her wolf self, and soon a large black wolf with deep gray eyes approached her. Aria squeezed her eyes shut and tried to banish the thoughts. She was in class, she needed to be in class. It was no use, though, eyes opened or closed all she saw was the black wolf. Aria opened her Econ book and glanced at the book next to her to find the correct page. She pulled out her notebook and a pen and tried to make it look like she was following along and taking notes. Aria could still hear Mrs. Stewart, but she quickly lost the thread of what she was saying.

The black wolf, Ezra, stood before her. She would remember to call him Mr. Fitz and to refer to him that way to other people, but the name Ezra had lodged itself in her head the moment she heard it. It was how she saw him, how she felt him. His scent was so rich and warm, like a blanket already heated by a crackling fire, or by the heat radiating from his lust inducing body. It had wrapped her up and made her feel safe and comforted, but also aware and stimulated. She could never think of that scent as "Mr. Fitz". Part of Aria wanted to forget everything about the scent and the man it belonged to. She loved Jason, truly she did. Before today there was no doubt in Aria's mind, or heart, that she and Jason were forever. They'd been together since before Alison disappeared. He'd told her that he fell in love with her the minute he heard her sing at Ali's 15th birthday party. Obviously, they were much too young to be bound at that point. But every day brought them closer to it, and now it was only a matter of months before they would make that commitment to each other. They had already had their union blessed by the pack, a ceremony a lot like a formal betrothal. It was not unheard of to break betrothals, but it was seen as a huge disruption to pack unity. Aria and Jason had both seen the fallout and neither ever considered it a possibility for them. And, of course, it still wasn't a possibility. Jason was her mate, Jason was meant for her, and she for him.

It was just, as much as she loved Jason's scent, she loved it because it was his. His scent had never overwhelmed her and made it impossible to think. Aria had loved Ezra's musk before she had any clue who it belonged to. As insane as it was, she felt like it belonged to her. She could do nothing but sit near him, breathing him in, and be happy. Aria had imagined a lifetime of being with Jason, of being with him as a person and as a wolf, but she had chosen to imagine it. Images so numerous they could cover many lifetimes had never invaded her head. She'd never felt like her daydreams about Jason were real, or that they were experiences she knew down to her core. The visions of herself and Ezra, she couldn't make out human faces, but she knew absolutely that her visions were of him, felt real and strong. She could still feel his hands caressing her, the heat of his breath on her skin.

Then there was actual touching. Aria craved Jason's touch, he knew how to rub her back, how to guide her by taking her elbow, his caresses were soft, warm, and never failed to make Aria feel loved. But, her skin had touched Ezra's for the briefest of moments, and she had been electrified. It was as if lightning had passed between them, and Aria felt the energy flow throughout her body. There was no pain, just electricity, and she felt her hair lifting away from her scalp. She saw Ezra reach for her and every fiber of her being cried out for him. She wanted to let him take her in his arms. He would hold her close and the energy would flow back and forth between them. She knew he would kiss her as she had never been kissed, they would be combustible, the sparks between them would set them alight and they would burn with undeniable passion. She saw all of this in an instant and she wanted it more than anything. But then she saw them being discovered, discovered by Jason. Ezra would be destroyed, he might even be arrested, and Aria's future would burn to ash. She whipped herself around and fled. She didn't even know if Ezra was aware of her going. She ran and ran through the empty halls and right out of the building. She flung herself at the base of a large Hemlock tree and struggled to bring her breathing back under her control. It felt like her heart was being ripped in two. A small voice inside her begged for her to go back to Ezra's classroom. It begged her to let him hold her, to forget everything and just be with him. Aria didn't even know how to tell it no, so she ignored the voice, instead.

She sat and dug her hands into the dirt beneath her, wishing she had her claws so she could tear up the ground and sink her hands deep into the life-filled soil. Her late pass was worthless if she never went to class, but she just continued to sit, picking up handfuls of dirt and sprinkling them over the ground. She was exhausted, and her head hurt, as well as her heart. After ten or so minutes, Aria picked herself up, dusted herself off, and headed to the nurse's office. She explained that her head was pounding and that she felt weak. The nurse offered to call Aria's parents, but Aria declined. She just wanted to rest and blow off the rest of second period, before attempting to be normal for third. The nurse went to get Aria medicine for her headache. It was useless, of course. Lykoi had metabolisms that ran so quickly and differently than humans, Aria would need to take half of the bottle for her to feel the benefits of the painkiller. Besides, her headache wasn't the result of unbalanced chemical levels. It was the result of unbalanced energy.

It finally occurred to Aria that she had a pouch of crystals in her bag. She hardly ever touched it, but she always had it. Ella was a second-level Wiccan priestess. If the coven grew any larger, Ella would train to achieve third-level and assume the role of high priestess for the new coven they would form. Aria grew up studying Wicca, but she felt more connected to the natural world through her Lycanthropy, so she didn't participate, anymore. Once Aria focused, she could feel the ebbs and flows of the different energies within her. She removed the mesh bag from inside the velvet pouch and filled it with healing, balancing crystals. Rose quartz, amethyst, selenite, and aventurine all went into the bag. She added clear quartz and wished she kept a moonstone in the pouch. Whenever she felt like she needed a moonstone, she had jewelry. Things were never so messed up in her head that she needed a supplemental stone, before. But, of course, she had an extra moonstone, today. She pulled Mike's new earring out of her purse and used it to replace one of several piercings she had in her ear. She tucked the mesh bag into the front of her bra, so that each stone would be in contact with her skin. By the time Aria headed to her next class, she felt almost normal. Unfortunately, Aria didn't know which crystals might offset preoccupation and obsessive thoughts. She knew it wasn't any of the ones she had, though. So, balanced energies or not, Aria's mind returned to the black wolf over and over again, the rest of the day. She was going to have to figure something out, quickly, and somehow avoid her boyfriend and her teacher, until she did.

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 **It's hard to imagine Ella being a witch, huh. Yep, I don't know how it came to me. I may or may not throw in some Easter eggs at different points. It really just depends on how cheesy I'm feeling when I'm writing. But, introducing Wicca into this story was not just for the reaction. It will influence the story, just not sure how much. Enjoy the rest of your weekends, best shippers. Oh, and review this, please. I would really like some feedback, thank-you. Blessings to all.**


	5. Wearing the Same Thing

**A/N: Aria has a lot she needs to figure out and hard choices she has to make. Maybe the other Liars will help her with that, or maybe not.**

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Chapter 5

"Aria, earth to Aria. I've lost her again, guys." Hanna waved her hand in front of Aria's face at the same moment Spencer slammed her locker. Aria jumped and shoved Hanna's hand away. She looked around at her friends, they were all staring at her. "What is wrong, sweetie? You can't stay with us for more than a few sentences. Are we that boring?" Hanna's voice was a blend of annoyance, concern, and teasing. Aria knew she was right. She gave her friends an apologetic look.

"No, Hanna, none of you are boring, you know that. I'm sorry, guys. I've been spacey all day, trust me, several teachers are more annoyed with me than you are. I probably just didn't sleep well. I'll do better." Emily and Spencer spoke at the same time.

"You were fine in first period," overlapped with "Are you having the nightmares, again?" Both girls apologized to the other, and Emily insisted that Spencer go first.

"You were ok during English; did something happen after that? Is there something specific your mind keeps going back to?" Spencer was always one to get to the point as quickly as possible. If there's a problem, identify the source, analyze possible courses of action, pick a plan, execute it, boom! problem solved. Aria appreciated her clear, straight forward thinking, she helped Aria to see past the emotions and the doubts. But this was not that kind of a problem, and Aria couldn't explain it to her friends, even had she wanted to.

"What I think happened after English is my coffee wore off. And no, there isn't one specific thing on my mind. If anything, it's like my mind is searching for a specific thing to focus on." She thought about Ezra's hair, his voice, his scent. Her mind kept going back to the visions, the electricity, the head-spinning attraction. She was distracted by her feelings, Ezra's feelings, and Jason's feelings. So, there wasn't one specific thing, there were dozens of specific things. Spencer did not look satisfied. Maybe she didn't believe Aria, or maybe she thought she could help Aria push through to the real answer. Either way, Aria knew that Spencer would not be letting this go.

"Are you having the nightmares again?" Emily's question was sweet and caring. Aria didn't have to hide her answer to this, she genuinely didn't have one.

"I don't know. If I am, I'm not remembering them, but I do still wake-up every once in a while, in a cold sweat." Aria told her friends about the nightmares when they'd gotten really bad, a few years before. She'd woken up screaming while at Hanna's for a sleepover. Not even Alison teased her about it. They said they'd never seen Aria look so scared.

"Well, you never really remembered them, right?" Emily pressed. Actually, Aria remembered them quite clearly, but she couldn't discuss the details with anyone outside of the pack, so she told the girls she was just left with feelings and impressions. Aria accepted that she had to hide things from the girls for everyone's safety, but she hated lying to them.

"True, but I was always sure whether or not I was having them." Aria should just say that the nightmares were back and that was why she was tired/spacey. But part of her worried that saying she was having them meant she would have them. Aria would tell many, many lies to her friends to avoid that. Aria had nightmares that were similar to those of countless Wolves. She dreamt about being captured, being held prisoner in a pitch-black cavern or chamber. Sometimes she was a wolf, sometimes a human. When she was human she was always naked and freezing. A terrifying and burly man would appear once in a great while. He was the only thing in the dreams that Aria could actually see. He was built like a bear and his face was so scarred it looked like he wrestled bears too. He knew what Aria was and wasn't at all afraid of her. He would chain her, beat her, and taunt her. No one ever came to her rescue, she never escaped, and each time it felt like it was never going to end. There was no way Aria was going to do anything that might bring them back. Emily wrapped her arms around Aria's shoulders, much like Aria had done with her that morning, and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Uuuggghhh! Can we please stop talking about nightmares? We, ladies, have a genuine dreamboat to discuss." Hanna nodded, as if agreeing with her own statement. Even knowing who Hanna meant and wanting to avoid the topic as long as possible, Aria laughed. Hanna could lighten up any situation. "So, my mom is having book club at our house, tonight. Not only did she say I couldn't have you guys over, she made it clear she'd prefer I stay with one of you. I think they're reading Fifty Shades, or something. I guess she's afraid all the sex talk might give me ideas."

"Ideas? You refused to read the second and third books because the first one was 'wildly inaccurate'." Aria loved that memory because it was one of the few times that Hanna spoke like Spencer, showing she was an expert in the subject.

"And in twenty years, I would love for you to tell my mother that story, but for tonight, can we go to your house? Your mom will be chugging wine and getting 50 Shades of raunchy with my mom." Aria's mouth dropped, and she choked out a laugh at Hanna's characterization of their moms' book club. Having played taxi for several ladies, several times, Aria couldn't argue.

"I'm sorry, my house is out, too. Mike is pretty sick and he's impossible to deal with when he's sick." The girls knew that Emily's mom didn't let her have friends stay over on school nights, so everyone turned to face Spencer. Spencer sighed but she nodded.

"Yeah, we can go to my house. My mom took Melissa to New York for a spa getaway, and my dad won't care." The girls rolled their eyes at "spa getaway".

"And why does the princess deserve pampering, this time?" It was evidence of how much Hanna disliked Melissa that she begrudged her spa treatments. Hanna thought they should be included in standard health care plans. Aria knew Spencer appreciated her friends' support, especially against the bitchiest big sister known to man.

"It's the anniversary of Ian skipping town after he was caught screwing Ali. Personally, I wouldn't draw attention to such a humiliating event, but I guess that's why I don't get the spa getaways." Hanna hugged Spencer, then pulled her towards the parking lot. Aria and Emily trailed behind, but before any of them reached the door, they heard a male voice calling from down the hall.

"Aria! Aria, wait up!" The girls turned around and waited as Toby Cavanaugh sprinted down the hall to them. Aria smiled brightly, she hadn't seen much of Toby, lately. He was carrying a large tube, like architects use. He reached the friends and held it out to Aria.

"Hey, Toby! Whatcha got there?" Toby twisted the tube and shrugged his shoulders.

"My dad was supposed to bring it to your house tonight, but my step-mom wants to go into the city. So, you and I get to play messenger service." Aria grinned and took the tube. She caught Toby glancing over her shoulder and knew he was looking at Spencer. Aria didn't understand why he didn't just ask Spencer out. Aria was pretty sure she'd say yes.

"Does my dad know about the change of plans, or do I need to tell him?" Toby didn't answer immediately, too busy trading glances with Spencer, and Aria wondered if she should repeat the question. But then he looked right at her and answered.

"My dad emailed him. Apparently, they're getting together this weekend, instead. Well, I should take off. Jenna's car is in the shop and I'm her ride home." Toby looked uncomfortable when he mentioned Jenna's name.

"I swear, Toby, you are a saint. Your step-sister treats you like you're her lapdog." Aria knew the comment would dig at him, but she was tired of that bitch walking all over her friend. Toby grimaced at the comparison.

"Don't worry, Aria. I won't let her put a leash on me. I'll talk to you later. Bye ladies, bye, Spencer." Toby turned and ran before he could hear whether or not Spencer responded. Aria, however, heard her whisper his name. Maybe she should push Toby to ask her out. Or push Spencer to ask Toby out. She wanted to see both of her friends happy, especially if it meant getting him away from Jenna Marshall.

An hour later, all 4 girls had snacks and beverages and were comfortably lounging in Spencer's family room. Spencer was certain her dad wouldn't be home till late, so they didn't have to hide away in Spencer's room to talk privately. The girls were shooting the breeze, talking about nothing consequential, until Hanna rapped on the sofa table with her shoe. Spencer shot her a disapproving look and Hanna made sure the shoe hadn't made a mark on the table.

"I vote we begin our discussion about the hottest teacher I have ever seen, one Mr. Fitz. Initial impressions: I wanted him to spend the whole class writing on the board so I could keep staring at that incredible butt. Spencer?" Spencer smirked but played along. Even Hanna knew that Hanna was the only one that really wanted this teacher evaluation, but she was always there to support whatever the other three wanted, so they were, mostly, happy to do it.

"My first impression of him was that he was very young, and way better looking than a teacher has any right to be." All the girls nodded in agreement. Aria didn't want to play this game. She had no idea if she could remain calm and blush free, discussing Ezra. Mmm, Ezra.

"The first thing that I noticed was his outfit." Emily threw out that comment and everyone turned to her in surprise. Hanna said what they were all thinking.

"Since when do you notice clothing? Especially clothing that a guy is wearing?" Emily tilted her head and looked at her friends, challengingly.

"Since our new teacher came in wearing the same thing Aria is." Aria's eyes went wide, and she struggled to look like she didn't know exactly what Emily meant. Clearly, Spencer and Hanna really didn't know what she meant. "Mr. Fitz was wearing gray slacks and a gray vest. Aria is wearing gray pants." She paused and Spencer and Hanna did not get it.

"They both had gray on? So, what? Everybody wears gray all the time." Hanna didn't understand that Emily was creating suspense, but Aria did. She was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Sure, but how many people pair gray with lavender shirts? Because, Aria's top is the exact same color as Mr. Fitz's shirt." Aria should chime in, she should act surprised, at least. Instead, she started to blush, and she pretended she wasn't in the room.

"Aria! You're blushing! I guess she noticed it too, Emily. Did you and Mr. Fitz coordinate ahead of time?" Hanna would strangle as much amusement from the situation as she could. Aria had taken worse ribbing from her about Jason. She could handle it.

"Of course! We had a mani/pedi party and braided each other's hair. We thought matching outfits would be so cute!" Emily and Hanna laughed, but Spencer stayed quiet. She looked like she was thinking, which was not likely to be good news for Aria.

"Ok, well fashion twins aside, what was your first impression of Mr. Fitz?" Hanna wanted to get things back on track, but Aria was flustered and wasn't able to come up with an acceptable response.

"I…I…I don't know. He's fine, I guess." Hanna looked at her, disbelief painted across her face.

"He's fine. Fine like, 'Sure, Mom, meatloaf for dinner is fine'? Or fine like a fine wine, fine crystal, or his oh-so-fine body?" Aria's heart sped up as she saw that "oh-so-fine body" naked and tangled up with hers. Hanna crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Aria. Why did she look offended? She wanted Aria to be attracted to Ezra? No problem, but Aria couldn't admit to that.

"Hanna, what do you want from me? I don't pay attention to how guys look, I have a boyfriend." Hanna's expression told Aria that she would have to do better than that. Emily told Aria in words.

"Aria, I have a girlfriend, but I can tell you Mr. Fitz is gorgeous! You didn't notice his blue eyes, his silky curls, that strong jawline. Not to mention, that smile! I saw him smile directly at you, there is no way you didn't think it was amazing. Why are you having such a problem with this? I mean, it's not like we're going to tell Jason anything you say."

Aria wanted to scream. Emily's description of Ezra was enough to make her mouth water. She felt angry and possessive, jealous, frustrated, scared, and driven to distraction by images (memories?) of torrid, orgasmic sex with this incredible man that she had just met! "OK!" Aria's voice came out so loud she was almost yelling. The volume and vehemence caught her three friends by surprise. "You're right! Ezra is ridiculously good looking. Happy?" Aria tried to breathe and calm herself down. She should never have come over for this stupid discussion. She had no idea it would be that hard to act normally. Hanna, Emily and Spencer were exchanging looks and looking at Aria as if she was crazy. Today, she felt crazy. She prepared herself to apologize, but Spencer asked her a question that made the apology evaporate from her mind.

"Aria, how do know Mr. Fitz's first name?" What? She didn't…she did. She called him Ezra, again. Maybe all of her crystals were broken, because she certainly didn't feel balanced, or centered, or calm. She looked at her friends, they were all waiting for an answer. Spencer hated waiting, so she came digging for the answer. "Did he tell you when he asked you to stay after? Why did he want to talk to you alone?" Now the girls looked at Spencer like she was crazy. Her tone of voice had been unsettling. Aria felt like Spencer was about to pull out a doll, so Aria could tell her where the bad man touched her. Luckily, Aria had planned an explanation for Ezra wanting to talk to her.

"Ok, Spence, wherever your mind is headed, make a U-turn. I found out Mr. Fitz's name because he had some of his hiring paperwork on the desk. Ezra Fitz was written prominently across the top. It's an unusual name, it suits him, and I like it. He didn't tell me his first name, he didn't tell me to call him by his first name. What he did tell me was that Mrs. Mulligan mentioned to him that I was interested in starting a modern lit. club. He wanted to know what I had in mind, and how much work I was willing to do to make it happen, because his workload is going to be crazy trying to get up to speed. That's all." Aria had to squash any idea that Ezra had been inappropriate with her. Even a hint of a rumor like that could make his life hell.

"Well, in that case, there's really only one other explanation for how you're acting." Spencer's serious face dissolved into a teasing smirk. "You have a serious crush on our English teacher."

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 **I don't know if you have ever experienced your friends teasing you mercilessly. Even if it isn't as momentous a topic as Ezra is for Aria, it can still be tough to handle. And, yes, Toby is a Wolf, and there will be a storyline of a possible Spoby romance. But, Spencer knows nothing, how will that work? No, Jenna isn't blind, let's just say that Alison had other things on her mind besides stink bombs. Plus, going after a member of the pack? (Toby) That would not be treated lightly. Thoughts? Comments? Reviews? Anyone, anyone? Bueller? Blessings to all.**


	6. The Book in the Pool

**A/N: I know it's been a while since I gave you an Ezra chapter. The truth is, this chapter, as well as the next 2, will belong to Aria. I promise you that I know why I'm doing that, and that the return to his perspective will be worth waiting for. Also, Ezra's backstory is not little, or a throw away. The mysteries surrounding Ezra will be revealed, but slowly. And other characters that don't have a mysterious air also have pasts and secrets. This is Rosewood, after all.**

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Chapter 6

Aria threw her Physics book at the wall in frustration. The sciences had never been easy for her but right now they were impossible. Based on the disordered pile of books beneath the Physics book Economics, French, and Trigonometry were also impossible. Aria grabbed a pillow and screamed as loudly as she could, into it. She took a deep breath to scream again but heard a light rapping on her bedroom door. Aria sat up, set the pillow in her lap, and punched it a few times before answering. "Come in."

Byron opened the door partway and stuck his head into his daughter's room. "It sounded like a deer kicked your wall, so I just thought I'd offer it a snack." He took in the scattered books and the look on Aria's face. "Is everything ok, Aria?" He opened the door all the way and leaned against the frame. Aria couldn't decide if she preferred to answer him sincerely or caustically. None of this was her dad's fault, but her mood pushed for bitchiness towards all. Aria dropped her head onto the pillow in her lap. She hoped he would take that as a 'Hell no!' "Weren't you going to stay with the girls tonight? Your mom said something about a huge gossip session?" Aria lifted her head and looked straight at Byron. This she could be caustic about.

"Well, I hate them, so I decided to bail." Byron started, quite surprised by that response. He indicated to Aria that he wanted to come in and sit next to her. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but gestured to the empty spot. Byron came in, sat down, shifted till he was comfortable, shifted more as if the bed was quite unsatisfactory, leaned against a pillow, switched it for another pillow, used both pillows, Aria started to laugh in spite of herself. Ever since she was little her dad would play the clown to help her when she felt her worst. Byron sat normally and addressed his daughter.

"You hate them. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer, them you hate." Of course, it sounded ridiculous when he said it like that, but she nodded her head. "Did they drop another book in the pool?" The last time she had left Spencer's and proclaimed she hated her friends was when they were 11 and Aria's copy of Wuthering Heights ended up at the bottom of Spencer's pool.

"I was angry about the book, but that isn't why I was that angry." Aria was always embarrassed about what had happened, and she was scared that her parents would get the other girls in trouble with their parents. She supposed the statute of limitations had run out, by now. "Alison started it, of course. I was reading on a lounge chair and the girls decided I needed to stop and play with them. So, Ali grabbed the book and tossed it to Spencer. I tried to get it back, but she tossed it to Emily. This was the summer after all the other girls had had growth spurts, even Hanna. Soon it was a full-on game of keep away, and I was too short to do anything about it. They all knew I was sensitive about being little, they knew I was afraid I would never have a growth spurt, and they laughed and laughed until Ali "accidentally" threw the book into the pool." Byron sat quietly, not trying to play the clown anymore.

"You've never told me that story, before. Does your mother know that's what happened?" Aria shook her head.

"No, we kept it between us. I didn't want them to be in trouble, they were all really sorry, even Ali. Emily started to cry after she thought about it for a little while, Spencer told me. They got me a new copy with their allowances, and never did anything like that again, till today." Byron looked confused and upset for Aria.

"They played keep away?" Byron asked, incredulously. Again, Aria shook her head.

"No, they decided to have target practice, only I was the target. I mean, you know how much we like to tease each other, all of us can take a joke. But today, they just kept piling on. The more I tried to make it stop, the harder they laughed. That's why it was like keep away. How upset I was about what they were doing, made it more fun for them." Aria felt her eyes well up with tears. Telling Byron let her get it off her chest, but at the same time, it made it more real. Byron reached out and pulled Aria into a hug. She appreciated her dad, he was always there for her.

"Can you tell me what they were teasing you about? I promise I won't pick on you." Aria shook her head. Byron smoothed her hair, "Ok, kiddo. I won't ask again. Are you going to stay for dinner? Or do you want to go see Jason?" Byron let Aria go and stood up. He walked toward the door. There was no way she could see Jason. He would want to know exactly what the teasing was about. How had everything gotten so screwed up, so fast?

"I'll be here, tonight. Dad?" Byron turned around in the doorway. "What do you do, when you're facing a difficult or bizarre situation, and you don't know how to handle it?" Aria had to be vague, obviously, but she needed help.

"Well? Do I know anyone who has faced a situation similar to what I'm facing?" Byron leaned against the frame, again.

"No, definitely not."

"Do I know of anyone facing a similar situation?"

"Nope" Byron took a deep breath before trying again.

"Well, there are very few situations that have never happened before. I would try to figure out what resources I had available to find out the last time something like that happened to anyone, anywhere. Does that help?" Aria thought about it. Who would know if lykoi could share visions and feel the kind of connection she felt with Ezra? Who had in depth histories about the lykoi? Maddie, duh, Maddie.

"It does help, thank you, for everything." Aria got up and gave her dad another hug, then started picking up her discarded books. Byron seemed to be reluctant to leave.

"Aria? Can you just tell me if this difficult situation involves medical tests, drug tests, or pregnancy tests?" Aria appreciated that he hadn't directly accused Jason of anything.

"I promise, Dad. It does not involve any tests, of any kind, for anyone. I'm gonna leave in a minute and run an errand, but I'll be back by 6, ok?" Aria would tell him where, only if she had to.

"That's fine. I hope you can find whatever it is that you're looking for." Byron walked down the hall and down the stairs. Aria checked herself in the mirror to see if she looked ok. She noticed the gray moonstone still in her ear. She took it off, cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, and put it on the desk to grab on her way out. She looked uncertainly at her necklace. She loved it, it was a piece that had been in the Dilaurentis family for a couple generations. But Jason got his mother's permission to give it to Aria. Whenever she looked at it she remembered that she was special to him and had been for a long time. But that wasn't something she wanted on her mind at the moment. She pulled another necklace from her jewelry chest. It was wire, twisted into the shape of the Tree of Life. The wire also served as a cage around a very large moonstone moon. The necklace should hold more energy than the other necklace and earring combined. She put it on before removing her regular one. It wasn't like she would explode without a moonstone, but with a day like today? Aria wasn't taking any chances. She carefully laid Jason's necklace into the chest and closed it. She grabbed her sandals, a jacket, her bag and Mike's earring. Her phone rang in her purse. Hoping it was Ezra, Aria pulled it out to check it and immediately hit deny. It was Spencer, again. Aria couldn't deal with them tonight. Maybe it would be easier, tomorrow.

"Maddie?" Aria called out as she walked into the shop. She looked around but didn't immediately see the storekeeper.

"Over here, ti zwazo." Aria smiled. Maddie used terms of endearment more than names with people she knew. Sometimes they were in English, sometimes in Haitian Creole. For the most part they were generic, baby, little one, precious, etc. But, as far as Aria knew, she was the only one Maddie called "ti zwazo" or "little bird". It made her feel special and important to have a Creole nickname. It meant that Maddie saved that little piece of herself just for Aria. When everyone in the community was up in arms over Ali's wild behavior, and Aria felt like she was only seen as Ali's friend, Maddie would call her "ti zwazo", and she felt seen.

Aria lost Jason for a while, during that time. If being Ali's friend was rough, being her family was hell. At least Aria could go home and be safe and protected. Jason couldn't escape the insanity, and he felt invisible to his parents. He turned to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain. Being lykoi, he had to consume a lot to really get high. Then it would hit him all at once. Several times, he showed up at Aria's house, trashed out of his mind. He would want to see her, her father wouldn't allow it, and Aria would hide in her room listening to Jason screaming her name and shouting vile things at Byron.

Then, one night, Jason bypassed the front door and climbed into Aria's bedroom through the window, in the middle of the night. At first, Jason wanted sex. He said that Aria was the only good thing he had, and he needed to feel loved. Aria refused, and Jason started to get angry. She knew she was in danger, so she convinced him she was saying no because it would be too loud and would alert her parents. He stopped being angry with her, but his rage was now at all the people that tried to "keep them apart". Jason decided he had to take her away. He dragged her downstairs and out through the kitchen. Aria tried to reason with him, begged him to let her go, and promised she would run away with him another time. Nothing worked, until she heard a deep growling behind her. Byron had heard the racket and shifted while inside the house. He stood, a proud, grayish-brown Alpha wolf. Jason stumbled and fell, dragging Aria down with him. Jason was too wasted to shift voluntarily but he remained defiant. Byron pinned him to the ground and growled in his face, only inches away. Aria cradled her clearly broken wrist and cried, begging her father not to hurt Jason. Byron let him go, shepherding Aria back into the house.

The next day, Byron began teaching Aria how to shift at will. She was fairly young for it, but he was terrified that next time he might not be there to protect her. There was no next time, though. That same day Aria got a letter from Jason. In it, he apologized profusely. He said that he hated himself for what he had done and that he was leaving so he would never hurt her, again. He also said that he loved her more than anything and promised that he would try to get better and come back. He was gone for four months, but Aria never let him go, and he eventually returned home. He'd cleaned up his act, he worked diligently to reestablish his place in the pack and to regain Byron's trust. He tried to "win back" Aria's love, but she told him it was his, he'd never lost it.

Aria thought about that moment as she searched the store for her friend. She'd held so tightly to Jason when there were a hundred reasons to let go. Now she only had one reason, a pair of blue eyes, but they had her genuinely questioning if Jason was the right one for her. Aria found Maddie tucked in the back where she kept the prepared spells and potions. She was restocking the love potions, her biggest seller. She had tried putting them in a more prominent location, but quickly figured out that people that wanted to buy love potions, didn't want to be seen buying love potions. Aria asked Maddie if the potions actually worked and was told they did, in their way. She described them as incredibly powerful aphrodisiacs, but they would only work where there was already attraction or feelings. Aria called them "In the Mood Juice". Maddie got a kick out of that. "Hey, Maddie. Need some help?" Maddie was facing the shelf, arranging bottles.

"No, sweets, I'm just finishin," Maddie turned her head to give Aria a smile but seemed to do a double-take instead. "What in de name of Legba have you been up to, girl?" Now Aria did a double-take. Maddie hardly ever invoked the names of Vodun spirits. Aria wasn't sure how to answer.

"I went to school, hung out with the girls, did homework, then came here." Aria was always honest with Maddie. She could read auras and energies, so lying was usually a waste of time. But having no idea what Maddie was reacting to, Aria gave the broadest strokes, possible. Maddie hustled Aria over to a table by the window and both women sat. Maddie was looking Aria over like she was some kind of exotic creature.

"Uh-huh. Well, dose may be events from your day, but you leavin out events for your life. Wait, no dat can't be, what is? Where would you get dat? Mon Dieu, you have a story to tell, little bird. Will you tell it to me?" Maddie must have been reading Aria's energies, but she'd never seen Maddie lose her cool like that. She had to know why.

"Maddie, what were you reading off me? What can't be?" Could Maddie read that Aria met Ezra?

"For one, your energy is all over de place. It's like a cyclone of colors and pictures. But what can't be is your aura. It's different den it was dis mornin." What? Energies were just that, types of energy. They indicated mood, mindset, emotions. They were constantly changing and Aria wasn't the least bit surprised that hers were chaotic and hard to decipher. But, auras, they were the energy fields created by each person. They told others who you were, your outlook on life, your personality. They changed slowly, over years, unless you were faced with a life-altering event. Meeting Ezra changed her, actually changed her. It was difficult to conceive of that.

"Maddie, have you ever heard of two lykoi having an instant connection when their eyes meet for the first time?" Maddie raised her eyebrows at Aria.

"You mean like, love at first sight?" Aria bit her lip, wondering how much to share, but this was Maddie, she was one of the most trustworthy people Aria had ever known.

"More than that. It's a connection where you see thousands of images of yourself and that other lykoi, maybe from the past, or the future, or something, but real, incredibly real. And knowing things about each other, details that can't show on your face, or easily be guessed. And electricity when you touch, like together you create a new energy. Has that ever happened, before?" Maddie sat with her mouth slightly open, seemingly dumbstruck by the litany of things Aria described. And Aria hadn't even mentioned the attraction, the promise of all-consuming passion.

Maddie sat back in her chair and studied Aria. Aria waited as patiently as she could. Rushing the older woman never achieved anything except to make her annoyed. Maddie spoke with meaning and intention. She never ran off at the mouth the way that Aria did. Aria's mind drifted back to Ezra, again, surprise, surprise. She wished she could go back to that morning and give in. She could see him reaching for her, his eyes filled with heat and need. If Aria had just stood still, if she had let him touch her again, she knew how his hands would feel moving over her body. She knew, but at the same time, she didn't. His scent, his voice, his eyes, Aria knew all of these things like they were a part of herself, but none of it had existed before she looked into Ezra's eyes.

"I see." Maddie murmured, and Aria jumped. She'd forgotten that she was under Maddie's gaze. There was probably a very noticeable shift in Aria's energy. She was embarrassed, but if it informed Maddie on the matter, it was worth it. Maddie stood and glided away from the window, she began speaking at a quiet volume, clearly expecting Aria to go with her. "Dere are stories in Lykoi tradition of de life after dis. Are you knowin any of 'em?" Aria took a slow breath and then responded.

"I know that most Wolves believe that when they die, their soul is stripped of all knowledge of its life and exists in a pure form in the great hunting grounds, until it is called back to serve the Goddess here on earth." In Lykoi tradition, gaining deep knowledge of their histories was just one way to serve the Goddess and the natural world. There was no judgement placed on how educated a Wolf was. Their only "religion" was serving the Goddess in whatever way they felt called. "Authenticity of self" brought balance and the favor of the Divine. Aria wondered what the afterlife held for Maddie. She was so dedicated to the Lykoi community, but would never actually be a part of it.

"And in most cases, dat is dat. But sometime, a soul is marked. May be dat de Wolf was so bad, de Goddess keeps de soul from roamin free. Dose are said to be sent back to help dem heal and learn to love de world. Some souls are so shinin' dat Selene sends dem back as is to bring deir brethren along toward bein better. In both times, de Wolves may recall moments or feelins from who dey used to be." Maddie lead Aria over to the books section of the store. She sounded enthusiastic, even excited, to be explaining these things to Aria. Aria, however, didn't understand how it related to her and Ezra. Maddie dragged a stepstool to a point in the middle of the "Werewolf" books. She climbed up and pulled a deep red, leather-bound book down from the top shelf. Aria loved it, immediately. The paper was thick, the book was obviously heavy based on how Maddie held it, and it seemed old. Her fingers itched to get her hands on it. Maddie smiled, she knew how much Aria loved old books. But she wasn't quite done, apparently.

"De most rare cases in de old stories talk about when it isn't one soul dat returns intact time and again. Souls dat are bound as a pair come back to our world to find deir match. Some are great enemies, can't leave hatred behind and come back to make peace. Some are soulmates, meant to know and grow togedder over more den just one life. De pairs remember each oder, better dan demselves. You ask me if what you say ever happened before. Well, if de stories are true, it's been hap'nin over and over for just about forever. See if dis reads right for ya." Maddie handed the book to Aria, opened to chapter 26. Aria used her finger to keep the book slightly open and turned to the cover. Stories of the Children of the Moon from Around the Globe. It was a book of mythology, each chapter its own story. Aria opened the book back to chapter 26. "Lycidas and Eumelia: True Love, True Sacrifice."

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 **As you probably already guessed, the next chapter will be the myth. I am writing it as it appears in the book, the following chapter will have Aria's thoughts and reactions as she reads it. Also, spoiler alert: Byron is a good guy in this story. He isn't perfect, he's still very protective, but he isn't an ass about it. I love to stick it to Byron, as some of my other pieces will attest, but I was full-up on bad guys for this story. Byron is just so notoriously villainous, I didn't want you guys waiting for the twist that reveals how awful he is. So you can relax and enjoy a good portrait of fatherhood, a true rarity in the PLL world. It gives you free time to review. Review, or you could review. Blessings to all.**


	7. Lycidas and Eumelia

**A/N: Hello. I'm sorry that this is a week overdue. On July 23, my sweet, beautiful mommy went to sleep and awoke with the angels. She had health issues over the years, there were other times I thought I might lose her. And she'd been struggling for nearly a year with unexplained symptoms. Still, it was a shock, she was only 66. I am putting this explanation here because it felt the most appropriate. There are major changes happening, including my father moving in with my little family. I beg your patience and understanding. These stories are a joy to write, but my schedule will be tight for a little while. Thank you for reading this, enjoy the myth.**

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Chapter 7

 **Lycidas and Eumelia: True Love, True Sacrifice**

Selene, mother-goddess, embodiment of the moon, smiled down on creation. Tonight, she shared her full face, and silvery moonlight cast in all directions, made everything glow with a soft, misty light. Down on earth, on a secluded beach, there danced a little girl. The girl twirled, jumped, and ran across the sand with the wild abandon that only children possess. Selene watched her with love and pride. The little girl was her own daughter, Pandeia, and she liked nothing better than cavorting about in the moonlight her mother created. Selene blew a kiss to her daughter and a bubble of light drifted down to Pandeia and landed at her feet. The bubble was strong, almost as weightless as the air, and held its own glowing light. Pandeia bounced with excitement. The bright orb was almost as big as she was. She picked it up and threw it high into the air. It returned to her slowly, and she leaped up to grab it, only to toss it back into the sky, immediately. All of Pandeia's focus was on her new toy, her aim was to keep the ball aloft for as long as she could. Her mother remained in the sky, maybe she could teach her ball to do the same.

Selene always brought Pandeia to this beach when she wanted to play where the mortals lived. The strip of sand was long and straight, giving her daughter plenty of room to dance. It was also nearly impossible to reach. Exceedingly tall cliffs ran parallel to the shore. There was no way for mortals to climb up or down the sheer slabs of rock. Some animals could climb that well, goats could be heard bleating from time to time. The calls of gulls echoed across the sky during the day, the calls of owls at night. Selene saw an unusual pair this night. She saw two wolves walking away from the cliffside. Wolves could climb the steep bluffs, but usually wouldn't attempt it unless they were very hungry for goat. As they walked out of the shadows and into her silvery light, Selene smiled. These were not simple wolves. These were her children, who lived in the well-ordered world of men when Apollo traversed the sky but knew the wild wood and unruly natural world under her protective gaze. They existed as two beings in two worlds. They straddled the mostly uncrossable line between mortal and immortal. Their lives were exceptional both in blessings and challenges. Selene saw the two were marked, they belonged to each other and soon would see if their bond was strong enough to last a lifetime. Selene was amused at their decidedly human behavior, a young couple in love strolling down a beach, lived out in their wolf forms. All of her children delighted her.

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Lycidas shifted his gaze to the sky. He would swear the Goddess was glowing brighter than she had been moments before. He indulged in the thought that she sensed the love and happiness he felt and shined in approval. He returned to staring at his stunning mate. Eumelia's silver coat gleamed and her amber eyes sparkled with a light to rival Selene's. Lycidas had loved her for as long as he could remember, his attachment had grown throughout his life, from crush, to infatuation, to preoccupation, to true love. He hadn't believed she could mean more to him, but three days ago they had come together in passion and received the first mark of binding. Their connection was now stronger, he felt her in his veins and knew it was the same for her. He always wanted to be with her, but now he couldn't tolerate being separated from her. His every thought was about her and their future together.

 _In exactly one more cycle of the moon I will be able to call you my mate, and my wife._ Lycidas sent to Eumelia these words and an image of them in human form being wed. Eumelia giggled in Lycidas' mind.

 _You'll have to catch me, first. I won't run slowly, and my sisters won't allow you an easy time either. You'll have to prove you can keep up. You'll have to earn it._ Lycidas would always want to prove he was strong enough for Eumelia. She was far too amazing to be allowed to settle for less.

 _I wouldn't have it any other way,_ Lycidas answered, truthfully. He nuzzled Eumelia's shoulder, where the glimmering mark shadowed her otherwise light fur. She shuddered, and Lycidas smiled to himself. Their marks were nothing more than that for anyone else. But between the pair, the marks were touchstones, physical manifestations of their connection. They were deliciously sensitive to each other's touch, and induced passion and love. Lycidas' attention was all for Eumelia, but he observed that it didn't go both ways. Eumelia was staring at something in the distance. It was a little girl and she was throwing a glowing ball remarkably high in the air. Lycidas had never seen anything like it. He sent a simple image of the scene to Eumelia with an air of questioning.

 _It's Mother's goddess-child, Pandeia. Isn't she magnificent?_ Eumelia sent, then followed with an image of a little girl that looked like a blending of herself and Lycidas. _I know our children will be just as beautiful_. She had dreamed of being a mother long before she knew that who the father was made a difference. She thought she needed to pick someone who would be good company for herself and her children, that was all. She'd always assumed she would pick Lycidas, he was her only friend that was a boy. But when she learned that she and her mate would make the children together, Eumelia knew it had to be Lycidas. He was the handsomest boy in the village and his father was the handsomest man. She wanted nothing but the best for her sons and daughters. "Grown-up Eumelia" laughed at "child Eumelia's" superficial reasoning, but she had picked right, whatever the reason. Lycidas was her everything and he would be the most incredible father.

The Wolves continued to muse about their future and share their dreams and hopes for how things would turn out. They found the whimsical nature of Pandeia contagious and were soon chasing each other over the sand. Eumelia really could outrun Lycidas in their current form. Maybe she should slow up just a tiny bit on the night of the "chase". After all, she did want to be caught. Lycidas slowed and then stopped. He collapsed heavily onto the ground. Concerned, Eumelia ran over to him, sniffing the air for any scent that would indicate he was hurt. When she arrived at his side, she nuzzled his neck. _Are you all right, Lycidas?_ Eumelia sent, crouching down to be able to look into his astounding gray eyes.

 _I might not be able to chase you down, Eumelia. You are like a daughter of Zephyrus in your speed. But, I promise you this,_ Lycidas stopped sending mid-thought. Eumelia got closer, confused by his behavior. Suddenly, Lycidas leapt up and flipped Eumelia onto her back and pinned her to the ground. _I will catch you, no matter what it takes._ Eumelia was shocked, embarrassed about being tricked, and thrilled by Lycidas' promise.

By this time, Pandeia had drifted to the foot of the tall cliffs. Lycidas and Eumelia lay close to each other, content to watch the glowing orb fly up into the air and float back to Pandeia's eager hands. The tranquility of the moment was disrupted by Lycidas jumping to his feet. On the last toss of the ball it had collided with the cliff near to the top. It didn't seem to do any damage, but Lycidas heard the skittering of small rocks dislodged from their perches. He sent his concern to Eumelia and she jumped to her feet as well. _What can we do, Lycidas? She wouldn't understand us if we called to her. And if we approach her, she'd likely be terrified._ Eumelia watched as Pandeia threw the ball again. This time it didn't hit the cliff, this time.

 _We'll walk over slowly, calmly, showing as many submissive gestures as we can think of. If we can get her to see us a big dogs, she might let us lead her away. Kids love dogs, right?_ It wasn't much of a plan, but they had no idea how much time they might or might not have. They hurried until they were about 20 feet from Pandeia. They then slowly walked toward the little girl, who was still tossing her ball, completely unaware of any danger or her rescuers. The ball hit the cliff again and the couple could see rocks tumbling down toward the beach. They sped up a bit, but they were still careful not to seem scary.

Pandeia threw the ball one last time and then noticed the wolves approaching her. She didn't know what to make of them. She watched them with curiosity, her ball forgotten. Lycidas followed the path of the ball and stared in abject horror. The ball hit a small pile of rocks in a crag on the cliffside and knocked the pile over. There were enough rocks falling now that they were dislodging larger and larger stones as they sped toward the sand. The sound went from a soft click-clack to a building roar of stone crashing on stone. Lycidas and Eumelia dropped their attempts to seem harmless and rushed at Pandeia. Pandeia heard the falling rocks and saw the strange animals running directly toward her. She froze in terror. She'd never known fear before, she'd never been in real danger before. But she felt like something bad was happening and she didn't know how to get away.

Eumelia reached Pandeia first, but only by a few seconds. She grabbed Pandeia's dress in between her teeth and lifted the little girl. Lycidas was right there. He knelt down and Eumelia dropped Pandeia onto his back. The rocks were hitting the ground all around them. A fairly large rock knocked into Eumelia's shoulder as it crashed. It hurt, but she kept going. She and Lycidas were dodging the rocks as best they could as they struggled to get clear of the cliffs. They were going to have cuts and bruises, certainly, but Wolves healed quickly. Then Eumelia heard the sounds that would haunt her for the rest of her life. A boulder crashed with a loud boom and Lycidas screamed. Eumelia spun, and despite the rocks raining down on her, she froze. Lycidas was lying on the ground, Pandeia had tumbled off his back when he fell, and his back legs were under the boulder. _LYCIDAS!_ Eumelia raced to him and crouched at his side, begging him to jump up like he had when he was fooling her. _It's ok, we'll get you out of here, I'll dig your legs free!_ Eumelia tried to start, but Lycidas stopped her.

 _Baby, there's no time. Take Pandeia and go! You have to save yourself, for me. I love you so much. I always will._ Eumelia shook her head violently.

 _NO! I won't leave you, I can't lose you! I can save you!_ Lycidas looked at her with such love, but the words he sent were firm.

 _You can't, but you can save Pandeia. I promised to protect you. Don't make me a liar. GO!_ Eumelia knew he was right. She grabbed Pandeia's dress again and held the child with her teeth and hurtled away from Lycidas toward safety. She escaped the avalanche and planned to set Pandeia down and go back for Lycidas. It would never work, but she had to try. At that moment, the bond between the lovers broke. Eumelia dropped the little girl onto the sand and began to howl. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. He was gone, Lycidas was gone. Eumelia felt as if half of herself had been ripped away. She collapsed, wishing she was the one under the rocks. She'd never lived without Lycidas. He was a part of her earliest memories and a part of every dream she had for her future. A world without Lycidas shouldn't be allowed to exist. He'd been her world, and now she felt like she was floating in the darkness, alone. Pandeia came over and wrapped her small arms around Eumelia's neck. Eumelia took comfort from the child's embrace. She knew that she and Lycidas had done what they had to. They had chosen saving an innocent life over protecting their own lives. Neither of them could have chosen otherwise. She would not dishonor Lycidas' sacrifice by wishing it away or by ending her life. She would live for him, like she'd always intended. But she would do it alone. Her heart was buried with Lycidas and that was where it would stay.

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Selene looked down at the scene with a mix of gratitude and grief. Her little Pandeia was safe, but the cost, the cost. Selene marked Lycidas' soul. He was a hero worthy of rebirth. She kept a close eye on Eumelia. Eumelia kept her word and lived. She stayed with her parents and took in children with no one to take care of them. She was revered by her village for her selflessness and her strength. And every full moon, Eumelia returned to the beach, to the large jumble of rocks at the bottom of the cliff and mourned. She howled her pain into the night sky and remembered the joy that she'd known with Lycidas. Selene was as impressed with Eumelia's devotion and bravery as she had been with Lycidas' bravery and sacrifice. When Pandeia grew up, Selene made her the goddess of the full moon. Pandeia happily took on the responsibility of looking after the lykoi, the people who had protected her.

When Eumelia's soul came to the afterlife, Selene took the lovers and bound them to each other. She gave them the gift of return and remembrance. Both souls would return to earth at the same time. Each time they would find each other and when their eyes met they would remember. They would have innumerable chances to create the life they had envisioned for themselves. And if they chose to be together, her blessing would be on display for all to see and understand. She would give them an eternity together, one life at a time.

The End

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 **Just to be clear, that was only the end of the myth. The next chapter will show Aria's reaction to it. Will she believe it's possible that she and Ezra are soulmates bound to each other for eternity? Will she tell Ezra about it? Please review, I've never written a myth before. How did I do?**


	8. A Happy Dress

Chapter 8

Aria closed the book and sighed. She'd read the story five times through and knew she would read it again. She was trembling after the first time, Maddie wrapped her up in her arms and rocked her gently as Aria tried to absorb everything she'd just learned. She could picture the cliff, the mound of stones at the bottom. Aria had a vivid imagination, so it didn't necessarily mean anything, but the way she felt about the image… She felt the loss and deep emptiness that Eumelia must have experienced. There was also a face, Lycidas wasn't really described in the story, he was in wolf form, but Aria could picture a human face. It wasn't Ezra's, it was fuller, darker, and far less serious. The messy black curls were similar, but this man's hair was curlier and a good bit longer. He had a full beard and mustache, and his dark brown eyes twinkled with humor and mischief, he was beautiful.

Aria was glad she still had the $100 her father had given her. The book was $60, and Aria happily paid it. She gave Maddie a kiss and promised to come back the next day. At dinner, she was completely distracted. Byron asked if she had found what she needed. She went so far as to show him the book and explain that Maddie thought she might find what she needed in the mythology of the lykoi. She'd reassured him that if she worked it out, she would explain everything to him. He was satisfied and changed the subject.

Aria went up to her room immediately after dinner and tried to complete her homework, again. It was less frustrating this time around, but still very slow-going, as her mind kept going back to the myth and Ezra. He hadn't called; Aria was disappointed but understood that he had a lot going on. Things felt settled in Aria's heart, the myth had given her clarity. She thought about Jason and was sad. She really loved him, this dramatic shift hadn't changed that, but it now felt like a memory of love. She'd wanted to be with Jason, she was ready to be his wife, but she felt like she needed Ezra. She justified to herself that she couldn't have known this was coming. She never misrepresented her feelings to Jason, they just didn't seem to matter as much, now.

Aria felt guilty, but that wasn't a good enough reason to stay with someone, was it? She knew that she wasn't struggling to make a choice, but to defend her choice. It was insane, she knew nothing about Ezra except that she needed him, and she was confident that he needed her too. She thought back to that morning and listening to Jewel's song. She had been waiting, she'd let Ezra into her heart so fast because there was a space that was already his. Aria prayed he felt the same way. She went to sleep, determined to be honest and up-front with him. She dreamt of the moon, it seemed to smile at her. She dreamt of jumping off the cliff, flying through the air, convinced the landing would bring her everything she wanted. She dreamt of Ezra, and those were very good dreams, indeed.

When Aria woke-up, she was in a fabulous mood. She showered, took time to braid her long, glossy hair, and put on one of her favorite dresses. It was a black sundress covered in bright yellow flowers. It was a happy dress, without being pretty pretty princess. She paired it with knee-high stockings, heeled boots and finished off the look with a fitted leather jacket. She tried very hard to be calm and casual at breakfast, but Ella, who was cradling a mug of coffee while obviously nursing a hangover, commented that Aria was "exceedingly chipper." It sounded less like a compliment and more like a lament. Aria smiled anyway and hurried off to school.

Aria got to school fairly early. She wanted to avoid seeing the girls at the lockers, before class. She'd hoped she would feel better about things with them and could make herself hear them out. But, with all that she had discovered, the last thing she wanted was to hear anything about staying away from Ezra. She was nauseatingly nervous about talking with him. After the way they'd left things, she was surprised he hadn't called. Her other reason for getting to school early was to hopefully have a few minutes alone with him. She would just ask him to read the story and call her later to talk about it. She was so scared about how this could change everything, everything, in her life. But, the thought of being with Ezra, knowing that it was destined to be, made her so happy and giddy, nothing else mattered.

When Aria walked into the classroom, she was the first one there. She was the very first one there. She didn't see any sign that Ezra had arrived, yet. She settled herself at her desk and pulled out the mythology book. The rich burgundy cover made the book look so important, and it was. It was probably the most important book Aria would ever own. She imagined showing it to their children, explaining how mommy and daddy found each other and brought a story to life. A small part of her warned Aria that she shouldn't get so far ahead of reality. And, of course, Aria acknowledged that this situation was going to be very difficult to navigate. There were so few people that could know about Ezra and her. They'd have to tell her parents, she'd have to break things off with Jason. That was going to be a nightmare, and Aria had to make sure he didn't find out about Ezra, for as long as possible. The state of Pennsylvania would not accept a blessing from a goddess as a legal defense, so they had to make sure no one at the school found out. Aria worried that that might include her best friends, but they would have to all make up before it bothered her too much.

Aria kept checking the time and watching the doorway for any sign of Ezra. The minutes were slipping by and other students were starting to trickle in. Most dropped off their stuff and left to enjoy their last few minutes of freedom. Aria chewed on her pen and on her lower lip. Her foot was bouncing, but she forced it to stop when she realized it was drawing attention to her. She was getting more and more anxious. Sure, if Ezra didn't get there until the last minute, she could go up after class to give him the book. But, the girls would likely take note that Aria stayed behind to be "alone" with him, again. And she doubted she'd be able to concentrate in class if she was still practicing what she wanted to say. The first bell rang, and the class filled with students. Spencer, Emily and Hanna walked in, but Aria refused to acknowledge them. From the corner of her eye she could see that they looked upset, but none of them tried to talk to her, which Aria preferred. Ezra finally walked into the classroom and walked straight to his desk. He set his things on top and went to write on the board. There were only 4 minutes left until second bell would signal the start of the class period, but Aria couldn't make herself wait. Maybe it was even better to do this in front of everyone. They weren't having a secret meeting, all alone. They were talking about a book that Aria was giving to him, it would look totally legit.

"Mr. Fitz? I wanted to talk to you about a book I found, yesterday." Ezra froze, but didn't turn around to face Aria.

"I think you should take your seat, Miss Montgomery. Class is starting in a few minutes." His voice sounded odd to Aria. He was speaking in a clipped, precise way, as if he was using as few words, and as little time, as he could.

"I'm sorry, I know. It's just, you asked me a question yesterday and I discovered something interesting. I was hoping you could read it and then call me after school, so we could discuss it." Aria walked a fine line of speaking with enough volume that no one would accuse her of whispering, but softly enough that no one would understand her words. Ezra finished writing on the board and sighed. He turned around to face her and she smiled a brilliant smile. He was even more handsome today. Her heart was beating quickly, but her smile faltered when she saw the stony look on his face. Obviously, he was not having a good morning. Maybe he'd had a flat, or overslept, and that was why he'd barely made it on time. Aria thought maybe she had better go sit down and talk to Ezra later. She didn't want to add to his stress.

"I'm sorry, we can talk later." Aria felt a sense of dread creeping over her, and it was about to get much worse.

"Actually," Ezra said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a couple of worksheets, stapled together, and handed them to Aria. She didn't understand. "I really don't think it's appropriate for us to have contact outside of school." Aria flipped through the pages and saw that stapled in the middle was the small piece of paper with her number on it. He'd prepared for this. He planned ahead to give this back to her. How could this be happening?

Aria started to feel a little light-headed. Her mouth was working silently as she came up with and discarded several possible things to say. "I thought you wanted to learn about um, cultural history. And I was going to introduce you to my dad. You kind of have to meet him, in order to get to know everybody else." She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to show any emotion of any kind. But Ezra was about to test that, mightily.

"Well, I'm sure I will meet your father at some point, maybe parent/teacher conferences. But, I'm in no rush to meet anyone else, I'd prefer to have some time to settle myself in. Now, Miss Montgomery, please take your seat." Aria knew there was no point saying anything else. The bell screamed at her to hurry up and she turned around to walk away from the disaster. She kept her head high and her face completely smooth. As she approached her desk she saw the faces of Spencer, Hanna and Emily looking right at her. They all wore looks of pity and Aria almost lost it. They couldn't have any idea what the conversation had been about, but Ezra's aloof, slightly annoyed attitude had surely come through loud and clear. Aria was certain they thought she'd thrown herself at him and been rejected in a teacherly way. And, when Aria considered it, that was exactly what had happened.

Feeling like her whole body was made of lead, Aria sat down in her chair. She stared at the fake assignment, not seeing what the worksheet said. She knew it wasn't a message from Ezra begging her to play along with his ruse, because someone was onto them. It wasn't an explanation of how he had come to the conclusion that she was a bother and needed to be dismissed, out of hand. It wasn't a reassurance that everything that had passed between them was real, that it wasn't just in her imagination. Maybe none of it had actually happened, maybe her nightmares had taken a bizarre and vicious turn. Aria shoved the papers into her bag. She looked at the book again, the book she now hated, the book that represented the cruelty of fate. She and Ezra might or might not be the storied lovers, but Aria acknowledged that the story didn't promise a happy ending. It promised a chance, a chance to meet and to remember. Ezra had clearly decided it wasn't a chance he wanted to take. It was going to be wretched for Aria to "unpick" Ezra. But, he wasn't giving her a choice. None of this had been her choice.

Aria stared out the window and tried to ride out the waves of emotions that were crashing inside of her. She knew roll was called, but it wasn't like he didn't know she was there. He obviously didn't want her to be there, any more than she wanted to be, but she shouldn't have to declare her presence. Mr. Fitz launched into something or other about Hamlet, Aria couldn't care less. She continued to stare out the window, carefully building a wall around herself. She had to do this once in a while, to separate parts of her life that couldn't overlap. This wall had to separate her heart from everything else, Mr. Fitz, her friends, and anything that could make her feel. She was done feeling, at least for now.


	9. I Can't, I Won't

**A/N: Hey, guys. I skipped a few A/Ns because I wasn't feeling up to talking as myself. Thank you so much to Shanaly and BrooklyninRosewood for the well wishes and condolences. They meant a lot to me. Story wise, I know I kind of yanked the rug out from under you in the last chapter. For those of you who weren't surprised, I'll try harder next time. For those of you who were, at least I'm warning you there will be a next time. Well, back to the drama, eh?**

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Chapter 9

"Miss Montgomery, are you with us?" Ezra tried and failed to not sound harsh. He felt like she was deliberately ignoring him, and it upset him, greatly. Aria turned her eyes from the window and met his gaze, directly. He was stunned, her eyes were frozen jade and she shot him through with the iciness of her stare. She was a vengeful goddess, whose rage is so cold, it burns. She seemed to debate whether he deserved to be answered at all.

"With you? No, I most definitely am not." Apparently, Ezra's sentence was exile. Even Aria's scent had turned cold, somehow. She was winter, itself. Ezra thought he could shut her out, keep her at arm's length, to spare himself the pain of not being able to really have her. He was an amateur, Aria had taken his rebuff and had turned off the sun. He thought he knew how to harden himself against disappointment and regret. He thought his armor was strong enough to keep out any and all assaults. But even armor becomes brittle if faced with bitter enough cold. He stood in the middle of her polar vortex, and he shattered.

"How would you respond to the spirit of a loved one that came to you asking for something?" The class would not soon forget if he caved in the face of Aria's disdain. He had to push her to answer, he had to maintain control, or he'd be useless as a teacher. Ezra forced himself to keep his expression passive. He showed the class that Aria's mood had nothing to do with him, why would he react to it? Aria pursed her lips and took a deep breath before she answered.

"I would tell the ghost to go back where they belonged. The dead have no right to screw with the living. Whatever lives they had are over, why should they be able to use proxies to continue chasing their pathetic desires?" Ezra had no idea where this was coming from. Aria was speaking as if she had been personally affronted by a ghost, recently.

"You don't think Hamlet needed to know that his father had been murdered by his uncle?" Ezra was utterly stupid when it came to Aria, but not stupid enough to poke at whatever personal "ghosts" she was battling. He would stick to the bard's troubles.

"I think Hamlet's father is a selfish bastard. How does Hamlet even know that the ghost is telling him the truth? What if he's just pissed that Gertrude moved on so quickly? Honestly, what kind of a prick must he have been that he racked up enough sins in a day to be shut out of heaven? He thinks his wretched life was so important that he doesn't hesitate to demand something that will demolish his son's. If you're dead, stay dead. Let the living at least have a chance of moving on and making their own decisions." With that, Aria snapped her mouth shut and returned her attention to the world outside the window. The class was silent, and Ezra wondered if they were in awe of Aria's brilliance, or terrified by her forcefulness. Ezra knew that his answer would be, yes. He tried to bring everyone back around.

"Well, I certainly think if there were any ghosts hanging around here, Aria has sent them scurrying back to the afterlife." A few of the kids laughed, but not without a nervousness evident in their voices. Aria had either stopped listening or had decided to not react. Ezra felt like he was a ghost and his pleas were falling on determinedly deaf ears. "Anyone have a different take on what the ghost asked of Hamlet? Was it unfair?" Slowly, Ezra got the kids talking again, though a number of them agreed with or had been convinced by Aria and now wanted nothing to do with their dearly departed.

The bell rang, and everyone gathered their things and started leaving. Ezra made a sudden decision. "Miss Montgomery, a word?" Aria finished settling her messenger bag across her chest. Her expression and voice were both indifferent.

"Sorry, Mr. Fitz, no can do. I think I should take my seat in my next class. I wouldn't want to be late, you know, again." Aria spun on her heel and strode briskly from the room. Ezra felt like he couldn't breathe, and he began to tremble, slightly. It wasn't because Aria had thrown his words back in his face. It wasn't because she wanted nothing to do with him, he knew he deserved that. It was because right before she finished speaking and until she'd spun away from him, Aria's icy façade had fallen away. Ezra could see anguish in her suddenly teary eyes. Her lips quivered, and he knew she was desperate to escape before she broke down. He imagined he could hear her quiet sobs in his mind, long after she was out of range for his ears. For the second day in a row, Ezra silently begged for Aria to come back. He felt so awful, about everything, that he imagined her responding in that same quiet voice in his mind. _I can't, I won't. Please leave me alone, Ezra._ It was just in his head, but he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He responded exactly the way he had been begging, _I can't, I won't._ The quiet sobs began again, only this time Ezra realized his own cheeks were wet. This time, the sobs were his.

Somehow, Ezra powered through the rest of the day. It was only his second day of working there and he was already relying on burned-out teacher tactics. He had his 11th graders take turns reading aloud and cover whatever chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird he had assigned. When they finished, he asked some generalized questions about theme and foreshadowing. He had his 12th grade College Prep English class read the first act of Taming of the Shrew. He may have been a bit harsh in his assessment of the headstrong and vocal female protagonist, Katharina. He normally wouldn't suggest that she was unreasonable or ask if the students thought she made situations worse by refusing to listen and think before reacting. At least the female students probably thought their new teacher was a male chauvinist of the worst kind.

Ezra's mind remained on Aria. He didn't understand himself. He had made the decision that being anything other than professional with Aria was too dangerous and would be too hard. He wouldn't be doing either of them any favors by forming an attachment of any sort. Even in the face of her beautiful, joyful smile and her sparkling, dancing eyes, he had remained firm and in control. But the second Aria pulled away from him, he fell on his face. Had he thought that she would be understanding? Perhaps he should have talked with her about his reasons for changing his behavior instead of just showing up with a completely different personality from the one she had met the previous day. He wouldn't even give her a chance to show him whatever was in that book that she was obviously excited about. It was most likely something to do with being a werewolf. She had offered to teach him about living with it. In the 8 years Ezra had been suffering with his curse he had mastered ignoring it, denying it, and drowning it. It was ironic that the curse he was trying to escape with alcohol, was the only reason Ezra could drink that much every month without permanent damage to his organs.

But Aria called it their heritage. Aria, a girl with so much inner light that she practically glowed, didn't hate what she was. And without judgement or mocking, she offered to teach him. But, he was so tormented by his carnal desires and how wretched those desires proved him to be, that he threw her offer back in her face. She'd offered him knowledge and understanding, she'd offered him friendship, without asking anything in return. In his entire life he had never been given anything freely, not even love. Now he'd been so self-centered, so selfish, that it didn't occur to him that Aria would feel rejected just because he rejected her. He didn't consider that the inexplicable connection that he felt with Aria obviously went both ways before he decided to sever it. Her iciness wasn't a petulant fit of pique, it was self-preservation. He saw, he felt her pain and he had caused it. Ezra thought that his condemnation of Katharina was his frustration with Aria, but who was unreasonable? Who refused to listen or to think? He was Katharina, not Aria. Only, Katharina was smart and witty and underappreciated. Ezra was an emotionally stunted, melodramatic idiot. And he had hurt the most amazing person he'd ever met. And he still desperately wanted to kiss her, hold her, and make love to her. What the hell was he going to do, now?

Ezra stalled and puttered around his classroom after school let out. He didn't have anything to go home to and he didn't really have anywhere else to go. Since he'd arrived in Rosewood 3 days ago, it could not be only 3 days, he'd only been to the school, the supermarket, the liquor store, and the bar. It had come as a shock to Ezra that it was illegal in Pennsylvania for grocery stores to sell liquor. And since he came into town on a Sunday, the only licensed liquor store wasn't open. That was how he'd ended up at a bar with not enough time and how he lost his ring somewhere in the woods. The occult store, he'd also been there.

Naturally, the occult store made him think of Aria, she had been there when he had. What if they had met there? What if they had found each other not knowing that they would be teacher and student? He would have kissed her if she let him. He would have held her, gotten lost in her, marveled that he, a man who never sought out relationships, too afraid of what they might discover about him, would fall for someone so fast. Then they would have found out the reality of their situation and everything would have come crashing down. Things always did, around Ezra. For the most part, he'd come to accept it, but Rosewood was supposed to be about finding the broken and missing pieces. Rosewood was supposed to help Ezra make sense of the past that tortured him, even when he knew almost nothing about it. Maddie knew more, though. And she knew Aria, maybe Maddie would help him figure out how to apologize to her. He couldn't tell her the particulars, of course, but he could say he'd offended Aria and needed to make amends. Ezra made up his mind and quickly gathered up his things and headed to the parking lot.

* * *

 **Ezra is a very sad and confused little wolf cub. The laws I mentioned about liquor in Pennsylvania were absolutely true when the O.A. started this story. I read that they are currently wrestling with questions about where and how to change the laws, but it was so perfect for the story I just went with it. Please review, people. Gimme something, at least. Remember, Ella is a witch and Maddie is a Vodun expert. Between them they probably know some nasty curses. I'm just sayin…**


	10. Chocolate Chip Cookies

**A/N: So, hello again. This chapter is one of my favorite things that I've written for FF. And Aria isn't even in it! I hope you all enjoy.**

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Chapter 10

When Ezra walked through the door of Bon Dieu Divinities, he was again surrounded by the heavy smell of incense. No wonder Aria had remained hidden from him, even though she was close enough to hear his conversation. He'd have to be within a few feet of her to pick up her scent from inside this cloud. Ezra approached the sales counter, but there wasn't anyone there. He glanced around and was about to call out, when he heard the tinkling of tiny bells or chimes. A curtain to the back opened and Maddie stepped through. For a brief moment she seemed surprised, but then a serious look settled over her, and Ezra felt like he was being scrutinized.

"I didn't spect I'd see you again so soon. What can I do for you?" Maddie's voice was friendly, but more restrained than the first time Ezra had come in. She'd been almost motherly in their first exchange. This time she was a bit cautious, welcoming but aware that she didn't actually know him yet. Ezra wondered what had changed, but they didn't know each other, so this interaction made more sense to Ezra and he went into the speech he'd prepared on the way over from the school.

"I wanted to apologize for how abrupt I was yesterday. I was starting my teaching job at Rosewood High and really needed to not be late. But, I couldn't wait till after school to get the moonstone, because high schools already have too many hormone driven lunatics walking the halls. And I will admit, the fact that you knew my father took me aback. Can we please have a do-over on our first meeting?" Ezra had been going for respectful, friendly, and a bit contrite. The smile that appeared on Maddie's face told him he'd done well.

"You have a silver tongue, like your Papa. I hope you don't use it de way he did, to bewitch all de young ladies." Ezra blushed at the compliment and at the insinuation.

"I swear, I do not seek out the attentions of anyone, really. But, I do make an effort to be optimistic when I'm getting to know someone." Why did he feel the need to say all of that? Maddie smirked, seemingly amused by Ezra's "effort."

"Well den, I s'pose we ought to get to knowin each oder. My name is Madeleine Romelus, but mosts call me Maddie, and you are Ezra Fitzgerald. Is dat good enough for our do-over?" Her eyes glinted with mischief and made her seem a lot younger than she had before.

"I go by Ezra Fitz, actually. Fitzgerald was a bit too heavy for me to carry around with me, especially in New York." Maddie looked puzzled.

"And your mama was ok wif dat? I seem to remember dat she put a lot of stock in names and such." Ezra had to take a calming breath. He had not come here to talk about his mother, but he couldn't demand answers from Maddie and be unwilling to be asked anything.

"The last time I saw Dianne I was 21 and she made it abundantly clear that she didn't care about anything that I might do or not do, so long as I never tried to contact her again." Ezra got through without his voice breaking, but he felt the tightness in his chest moving up toward his throat. Maddie softened and reached out her hand for Ezra to take, he obliged her.

"Your mama was blessed wif many things, beauty, brains, more money den anyone would know what to do wif. But she missed out on a lot, too. She never had no love in her heart, not for your fader nor no one else. Was it because you take after him?" She squeezed his hand as if imparting strength. It did make him feel a tad stronger. Ezra had never told anyone this, before. He cleared his throat, as a lump was forming.

"It was more because my brother, Wesley, didn't. Once she was certain that she had one 'normal' son, she didn't have any more use for me. Not that she had much use for me before that, but she really wanted to be free of all of it. I can't say I blame her for that, at least." Ezra's head had slowly fallen forward as he spoke. It felt like it just kept getting heavier. What kind of person erases their own child? What kind of person can't manage to make their own mother love them? Maddie pulled him into a hug and he didn't have the strength to stop her. As a general rule, Ezra avoided physical contact with people he didn't know well, but since coming to Rosewood he'd thrown more than a few of his rules out the window. It felt nice to have someone offer him comfort. The women in this town were turning him to mush. Hadn't he been stronger than this, before?

"Tell you what, how 'bout we go sit? I'll make us some tea and even dough I said I was keepin de rest for me, you can have a couple fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I swear, if I keep givin dem to you young folks I'll have to make more, and I do not like cleanin my kitchen up twice." Maddie led Ezra through the curtain into a storage room. She continued on to a door on the opposite wall. It opened onto a small hall, Maddie crossed it and unlocked the apartment there.

Ezra stepped into a tidy and comfortable living room. He immediately smelled the cookies, and they smelled delicious. But more importantly, to him at least, the room smelled like Aria. He tried to take in as much of her fragrance as he could. It was more comforting to him than any hug ever could be, unless it was from her. Maddie was watching him, with her head tilted to the side. She nodded to herself as if making a decision and brought her hands together in a loud clap. Ezra jumped slightly at the noise. He needed to say something, anything, really.

"You have a beautiful home, Maddie. It's so warm and inviting." Ezra meant that, the whole place was like another hug. His apartment was still full of boxes and it wasn't really the type of space that could ever feel homey.

"I like dat it's cozy. Course it's twice de size of where I lived in New York. It must seem tiny to you, knowin where you grew up." Ezra chuckled sardonically.

"Oh, that house could feel incredibly small at times." His "portion" of the basement was particularly tight. "This place has a much better feel, I don't know, a better vibe?" Ezra knew that Maddie was probably into all that new agey stuff that she sold, but he knew less about that than he did werewolves. He probably sounded like a complete dunce. But Maddie smiled a genuine smile at him.

"Merci, I try to keep de energies positive in here. Come wif me, get some tea and doze cookies before I change my mind." Ezra followed Maddie into the happy little kitchen and sat at the small table in the corner. That's when he saw it, the same burgundy covered book that Aria had brought to class. He picked it up like it might bite him. It had Aria's scent on it, it was the same book.

"Does this book belong to Aria Montgomery?" Maddie turned from the sink where she was filling a kettle with water.

"Well, she bought it yesterday, but today she returned it. She said dat she thought she needed it but turns out she didn't. Aria's not de kind to hold onto things dat she doesn't need or want. Knows her own mind better den most people double her age. De heart can be tricky, dough, don't you think?" Ezra nodded absently, turning the book over and over slowly in his hands. Did she not need it anymore, because of the way he'd acted? What did she want to show him? "Does she have you?" Ezra snapped back to the present. Was he that obvious?

"Pardon?" Ezra had no idea how to handle this. Maddie was a friend of Aria's and most likely her parents.

"Does Aria have you for a teacher? I assume dat's how you know her." Oh, thank god. Ezra swallowed, and tried to smile.

"Yes, she's got me for A.P. English." _And man has she got me,_ thought Ezra. "I saw her carrying this book today. I'm surprised she didn't want to keep it, she was holding onto it pretty tightly earlier. Do you have any idea why she needed it? Or did she tell you why she'd changed her mind?" _Don't sound too curious, Ezra_.

Maddie brought everything but the water to the table, the kettle hadn't whistled, yet. "No, most likely has to do wif one of de stories, dough."

"Which stories?" Ezra hoped they weren't stories he should know already about werewolves. Maddie gave him a patient smile.

"Open de book. It's a book of myths, probly not ones you heard before. I think Aria only knew a few of dem when she bought it. Who can say which story appealed to her? I will tell you, Aria didn't get what she wanted from de book. Aria wouldn't treat my store like a library and I don't think she ever give up a book she likes, dis one made her sad."

"She was sad?" How was Ezra going to make this right?

"Why you so worried? You met Aria yesterday, not before. Is my little bird in some kind of trouble?" Maddie was looking at him in that scrutinizing way, again. Ezra was losing track of the number of holes he was digging for himself.

"No, I just saw that she was sad this morning. It makes me sad to know she still was after school." Ezra didn't think that explanation would hold water, but Maddie patted his hand.

"It's fine, I'm sure Aria just had a fight wif Jason or sumpin." The kettle began to whistle, and Maddie got up and brought it over to the table. Ezra felt an awful twisting in his gut.

"Jason?" Ezra knew he was probably stupid for holding out hope that Jason was her brother. Maddie kept her hands moving, making the tea, but her eyes were focused on Ezra.

"Oh, I s'pose you've not talked much wif Aria, yet. Dough I'm surprised she wouldn't try to make you feel welcome. It's very important to her dat everyone is friendly and welcomin. Some packs are very closed off wif new folks. Well anyway, Jason is Aria's mate, or good as. He is chompin at de bit to get dat girl married to him." Married? Aria was getting married? No, no that wasn't possible. He tried to stay calm, but barely choked out his next question.

"Aria's still in high school. How could she possibly be getting married?" Maddie looked at Ezra with, what? Was that sympathy? Pity? She took a slow breath and sipped her tea before answering.

"Aria knows her daddy will not be happy if dey bind demselves to de oder before Aria graduates. Somes say dat Jason is pushin it too fast, I'm one of dem dat says dat. But dey have been courtin for three years, Aria is an adult, and Jason has his own place and good steady work. Thinkin Jason probly is not good enough for my sweet girl isn't much to bring to de pack leaders. Specially when dey approved of de betrothal a year gone, now."

A dull grayness was settling around Ezra. Was Aria just trying to welcome him? Had he misunderstood her feelings? She did get upset when he rejected her help to join the pack. He had zero intention of joining anything, here. He was thinking coming here at all had been a disastrous mistake. But, the images, the pull between them, the energy, he hadn't been the only one to feel all that. He knew he hadn't. But she was engaged, and had been for a year? Something occurred to him, and he had to ask. "Maddie, how old is Jason? If he has a place and works, he can't be Aria's classmate." Maddie grimaced.

"True, he's 5 years past Aria. It's not uncommon, dough. Wif as long as you all live, most don't fuss bout a handful of years. She were pretty young when he chose her, dough. I don't think Aria's ever even kissed nobody else. Somes says it sweet, I say he snapped her up fore she could give a look to anybody else. Her daddy is de pack leader, if you know." Maddie was being incredibly open with him about this. She didn't want Jason to marry Aria. Was she trying to say Aria didn't really want to marry Jason? But, Maddie didn't even say marry, she said bind.

"What does it mean for Jason and Aria to bind themselves? Is it like marriage?" Maddie looked surprised by the question.

"Do you not know about yourself at all? I know you lost your papa when you were too young for him to teach you much. But you never had nobody else to talk to? Where were Billy's parents?" Ezra shrugged, he knew the answer, but he didn't have the strength to get into anymore of his history. He'd completely forgotten that his father was supposed to be the main topic. Once Aria was brought up, he'd been consumed with that. And she would be marrying someone else, someone not him. The admission that Ezra would want to marry her didn't even faze him. Maddie was agitated, her lips were pressed tightly together, and her hands rattled the teacup and saucer when she put her tea down. "I shoulda stayed. Your mama never liked me, or dat Billy loved me more den her. I knew she wouldn't want me around you boys, but I shoulda found a way. I knew she would paint Billy to be a monster to you, but she kept you from knowin who you are. I shoulda stayed and not followed my questions here." Her eyes shone with regret.

Her revelations to him were huge, but he couldn't feel them, right then. Maybe it would sink in at some point. Maddie took his hands and looked directly into his eyes. "You need to get someone to teach you, Ezra. You need to learn and understand what it means to be who you are. If you don't you won't ever be ready to be who you were meant to be." Maddie said it with such urgency, like she really feared Ezra missing out on his destiny. Ezra didn't believe in destiny, but he had come to Rosewood to learn.

"Would you please be my teacher, Maddie? You knew my father, you know me better than anyone else in this town. Please help me." Ezra was so broken at this point, who cared if he resorted to begging? Maddie read him so easily. She pressed her hand to his cheek.

"I am so sorry, baby. I would be happy to teach you about who your papa was. Der isn't one you'd find who knew him better. But I can't teach you about you. I can answer some questions, but I never smelt de air wif a muzzle. I never felt de siren song of your moder moon. You need to learn about being lykoi from lykoi." She read the confusion in Ezra's eyes. "It's ancient Greek for wolves. You are de people of wolves, de lykoi are your people. Maybe you ask Aria to teach you. She's patient and kind and you know her already." Maddie returned to her tea, Ezra hadn't taken a single sip. He wasn't trying to be rude, he just didn't think he could get anything down.

"Thank-you, Maddie, but I don't think that would be a good idea. Aria's my student, it's better if I don't confuse our relationship by becoming her student. Maybe we could be friends once she graduates." He planned to be long gone by then. Maddie would tell him what he wanted to know, then he'd leave.

"My worst ideas are some of my favorite memories. And I'm not sure how many male friends Aria will have after Jason gets her. My thinkin is he'll keep her nice and close, once she's in his house, not her daddy's. You look wrung out, Ezra. You come see me when you want to know your papa. Here, take dis." Maddie handed Ezra the book. "Maybe you figure out what Aria wanted from it. Aria is very honest, Ezra. Any lies she tells, she made herself believe, first. Sometime only a friend can help us figure out de truf, specially when we're scared." Maddie cleared the tea set up and then brought a small box back. "You need dese more den me, I think. Only thing I hate more den cleanin up twice, is not doin all I can to help a friend." Ezra opened the box. It was filled with chocolate chip cookies. Ezra smiled weakly. He bent forward and kissed Maddie on the cheek.

"Thank-you, Maddie, for the cookies and for the advice. I'll think about it. Hey, you said you came here because you had questions. Did you get them answered?"

"Am I still here?" Maybe Ezra wouldn't be leaving as quickly as he hoped. He made his way to his car, shocked that it was dark outside. He sat in the driver's seat and setting the cookies down he brought the book closer to his face. Aria, how had he lost her when he'd never had her to begin with? Could he risk being her friend? Could he risk not being her friend? Would she even consider it, now? That night, Ezra went to bed with a belly full of scotch and cookies and he placed the book on the pillow next to his. He pretended her scent was actually her lying on the pillow next to him. No, he couldn't risk not being her friend. He had to try.

* * *

 **So, Maddie came to Rosewood with questions. Ezra came for answers. Why Rosewood? Maddie and Ezra's father were more than friends. How much do you all hate Dianne? Remember how you aren't going to have any reason to hate Byron in this story? You won't have any reason to** **not** **hate Dianne. Please review and give a word of encouragement, ok? Blessings to all.**


	11. Keep Her Fiancé Waiting

**A/N: This chapter is loooong. I couldn't decide how to chop it up, so you get it like this. Chew each bite thoroughly so you don't choke. Bon appetit!**

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Chapter 11

"Aria! Jason's here!" Mike's voice came from downstairs. Aria quickly put her headphones on and turned on a playlist. It was extremely childish, but she needed a way to stall that wouldn't seem like she was stalling. Of course, Jason was here. Aria hadn't seen him since yesterday morning. Coming by without a phone call or text was just like him. Aria sometimes wondered if he was trying to "catch" her doing something he didn't like. Aria was glad she left the mythology book with Maddie. The last thing she needed was Jason deciding to read it. Aria sighed. She was being completely unfair to Jason. He hadn't done anything, if he got a bit overprotective, it was sweet. And obviously he would have trust issues, maybe popping in was just to reassure himself that he could. Really, it was the least intrusive way to "check-up" on Aria. He probably just didn't want her to feel monitored. Aria didn't deserve him. Jason always tried so hard to push his demons aside for her. He said that they disappeared whenever he was with her. Whether that was true, or just wishful thinking on his part, it meant that she helped ease the burden. She was happy he was here, and she really needed happy.

Aria was about to get up from her desk and head downstairs, when a pounding on her door made her jump. "Come in?" The pounding was really not necessary. Mike opened the door a bit forcefully and saw Aria settling her headphones around her neck. "Geez, Mike. Why couldn't you knock like a normal person?" She wanted the words back as soon as they left her mouth. Mike had just found out he wasn't a "normal" person. The pain of that showed on his face. He hunched, making himself smaller, and spoke like a kicked puppy.

"You had your headphones on, so you probably didn't hear me yell that Jason's here. I pounded 'cause you didn't answer me. I'm sorry." Mike's face crumpled, and he started blubbering. Aria jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, letting him cry into her shoulder. The week after Aria's first shift she felt like she had the worst case of P.M.S. in the history of the world. Her emotions were so volatile, and the mood swings were so huge, she made her friends think she had laryngitis, so she didn't say what was on her mind from moment to moment. Alison found that hilarious because she spared no one after her first shift. She made Hanna cry twice, yelled at Spencer until Spencer apologized for "being wrong" just to end the argument, and became so clingy with Emily that rumors started that they were dating. If Aria had known that Emily actually had feelings for Ali, maybe she could have come up with a way to stop Ali from that part.

And it was usually even harder on boys. Mike would be back to his normal, sarcastic, allergic-to-emotions self in a couple more days. For now, Mike's feelings were changing so fast that he was screaming and laughing within seconds of each other. Aria would not miss "raging Mike", but he was letting her be there for him, for once, she couldn't let him down.

"I'm sorry, Mike. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't know I was wearing my headphones. Would you please tell Jason that I'll be down in a minute?" Mike nodded and gave Aria a shy smile and whispered "thanks" on his way out. Aria rubbed her temples, she had another headache. She'd never made guys cry, she'd never wanted to, but now she'd managed to do it twice in one day.

The voice in Aria's mind that begged her to go back to Ezra's classroom, yesterday, made perfect sense. It was an action she wouldn't do, but she wanted to, so badly. Today, though, the begging came again, and the last thing she wanted was to see him. She reached out with her mind the way she did as a wolf to find other pack members. It felt very strange, telepathy was an ability that came and went with shifting, like fur or fangs. It felt like trying to play piano with snow gloves on, but she sensed, something. She touched the something with her mind and the begging grew louder and clearer. It took Aria a moment to work out how to "send" to this foreign entity. The begging was clear in its message. _Come back, I'm so sorry, come back, let me fix this, come back, please._ Aria wasn't going to sign-on for an emotional rollercoaster where she was never sure where she stood or when things would collapse. It felt like it was killing her, but she responded, _I can't, I won't. Please leave me alone, Ezra._ She waited, not wanting a response, but knowing it would come. _I can't, I won't._ Aria's knees buckled, and she sat down hard on the toilet in the stall where she was hiding and trying to put herself back together. She couldn't miss class again, people would figure out that she came to school fine, disappeared after 1st period and reappeared for 3rd. She had to separate herself from this. It hurt too much. She couldn't let herself start crying again, but she heard sobbing, and it was inside her head. Ezra was sobbing. Nothing, not losing two of her best friends within months of each other, not watching Jason self-destruct, not even Ezra's rejection hurt Aria as much as that sound. Her heart felt pulverized, and she couldn't move. She was twenty minutes late for class and she wasn't even sure how she'd managed that. The other kids only saw that Aria looked tired, subdued, but didn't really think anything was wrong. Aria wouldn't let on, but she felt empty. Having your heart pulverized can do that to a person.

Aria needed to establish distance between herself and…Mr. Fitz. She spent the rest of the day trying to remember what her life had been like before Mr. Fitz had burst into it. She felt like she had been a different person, and according to her aura, she had been. Maddie tried to comfort Aria and Aria tried to not slam the mythology book down on the table. Aria didn't tell Maddie exactly what happened, but Maddie knew Aria was heartbroken. She gave Aria cookies and counseled her to be quiet and still and listen for what her heart might say. Then she sang Ti Zwazo, a Haitian children's song. Aria had always loved the song but didn't want to hear it right then. The song was about telling a bird in the woods the story of a love that was gone but could not be forgotten. Why were songs in Aria's life becoming prophetic all of a sudden?

When Ella asked what had happened to ruin Aria's good mood from that morning, Aria replied that she and the girls still weren't talking, and it was getting her down. Her mother hugged her and reassured her that the girls still loved her and that everything would work out. Aria didn't share her mother's confidence, but she appreciated the effort. At dinner, Byron asked how Aria was coming along with the book. She told him that reading the stories made her realize that it wasn't her responsibility to control or fix other people's problems. She knew that was nothing like the explanation she had promised him, but Byron could tell that it was the best she could do. Aria went straight to her room after eating three bites of her dinner. She had been hiding out ever since, strategizing ways to be as far from Mr. Fitz as she could. Maybe she would sit in the back. Or maybe she should transfer into College Prep English with a different teacher. She might be able to get into Toby's class with Mr. King. Advanced Placement might not be worth being placed so close to Mr. Fitz.

Aria shook herself out of her thoughts. After all, her fiancé was waiting for her. It would be rude to stay upstairs thinking about her soulmate. What the hell was Aria's life turning into? When she got downstairs, she saw Jason chatting with Ella on the sofa. Aria walked over, and Jason stood to give her a hug. "Hey, Babe. I'm glad you decided to join us." Jason kissed Aria on the cheek, but Aria still felt the sting of his words.

"Well, I didn't know you were coming so I wasn't ready for company." Jason's smile slipped, and Aria felt bad. She couldn't take this out on him, she was being too defensive. She smiled and pressed her head against his chest. "I love that you're here, though. That's why I took an extra minute to pretty myself up a bit." She had done no such thing. After crumpling her "happy dress" into a ball and shoving it into her hamper when she got home, Aria had thrown on a plain cream blouse and high-waisted shorts. She hadn't altered her appearance since. But there was no way Jason would question what she said.

"You're always gorgeous to me, Ar. I was just telling Ella that my mom and Ali were always jealous of how beautiful you and she are. On top of that, you guys actually like each other, which they could barely even fake. The house is completely empty, right now, and I still think it's warmer than when my family lived there." Jason pulled Aria down onto the sofa next to him. Apparently, they were going to keep talking with Ella.

"Oh? When did the Connors move out?" Ella was so good about keeping up with the neighborhood. Between Pam Fields' and her efforts, people moving into the area didn't need to cook for themselves their entire first week there. Aria wondered if anyone was cooking for Ez…Mr. Fitz. Not that she should care.

"Their lease was up last month, and they decided to move closer to Philly. I honestly don't know why my folks won't just sell the place. It's not like they're waiting for Ali to come back. And forcing me to play building manager can't be that entertaining." Aria snuggled closer to Jason. She knew how much it bothered him that he only heard from his parents when it was about the house.

"Maybe they keep it as a way to stay connected to you." Ella offered the theory kindly but not convincingly. Aria's family was well aware of the fact that Kenneth and Jessica Dilaurentis moved to New Orleans while Jason was still away getting help for his addictions. They'd put his stuff in a storage locker and informed him of the changes in an email. This conversation really wasn't good for Jason. Aria put an end to it.

"Mom? Is it all right if Jason and I go for a drive? I'll be back by 11:00." Jason turned to Aria and smiled at her like she was an angel. Aria loved making him feel better and Jason loved that how he felt mattered so much to her.

"Sure, honey. Do you guys want to take anything with you? Water, snacks?" Ella took care of guests, even if they were rushing out the door. Aria nodded and looked to Jason.

"Jas?"

"Water sounds great. Thank you, Ella." Aria stood and pulled Jason to his feet. He pulled her into another hug and whispered in her ear, "and thank you." They followed Ella into the kitchen to grab a couple of bottles. "So, how was the all-nighter with the girls? Is Hanna planning an imaginary wedding to the new teacher?" Aria gave a fake little laugh that always got by Jason.

"It was great. Pointless, but great." Ella whipped her head around and stared at her daughter. Aria had never lied to Jason in front of her, before. _Please, Mom, don't say anything._ Ella barely nodded, letting Aria know she'd understood the look. She covered for her reaction.

"Aria, you don't actually think Hanna would pursue your teacher, do you?" The tone in Ella's voice made it clear what she thought of the possibility. Aria was momentarily grateful that she wouldn't be facing telling her anything. She shook her head to reassure her mom.

"No, I don't think she would. That would be a pretty stupid thing to do." _Stupid? Table for one?_ "She thinks he's a 'dreamboat', but most of the girls seem to agree with her on that. Even if one of them was that stupid, though, I doubt he'd tolerate it. He's kind of cold, standoffish. Personally, I'm not a fan of his personality." Aria heard the _scritch-scritch_ of a polygraph registering a big lie in her mind. Thankfully, Ali was the only Dilaurentis with a built-in lie detector. Ella handed them bottles of water but held onto Aria's for an extra moment.

"Don't judge him so quickly, sweetie. He's probably overwhelmed. Give him a few weeks and see if he grows on you. I'm sure he'll warm up to you once he sees what an excellent student you are." And it was now past time to kill this conversation as well.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll be back in a bit. Love you." Aria leaned toward Ella and gave her a kiss goodbye.

"I love you too. Goodnight, Jason, drive safe, ok?" Ella never forgot to remind Jason to keep Aria safe.

"I sure will. Goodnight, Ella." The couple made their way to Jason's Renegade. They drove for a while, talking, and Aria started to feel better. She wasn't thrilled that Jason would be leaving the next day for the rest of the week. His job as a video editor for a marketing firm in Philadelphia meant he went there, a lot. Really, he should live in Philadelphia, but he said he couldn't stand the thought of being that far from the pack and Aria. So, most of the time, he worked remotely. Aria understood that projects required in-person collaboration too. Jason pointed out that if he had to shoot the videos, he'd be on the road all the time. So, she tried to be understanding that he had to be away for a handful of days each month. He had a lykoi buddy in Philly that only charged him a little to rent a room in his condo, Aria liked knowing he had a safe "home away from home". She'd visited him a couple of times, but his friend, Zack, gave Aria a weird vibe and Jason's mind had been on another planet. He said he needed to be in "work mode." She just hated how hard it was to connect with him when he stayed there.

Jason pulled the Jeep off the road and drove them to a little spot they liked that overlooked a lake. It wasn't a long drive, but the area was isolated enough to be private. He parked and unbuckled his seatbelt. Aria copied him. "Hey," he said to her, in a soft breathy voice. Aria looked at Jason. She knew he was trying to draw her in, trying to remind her of other ways they liked to connect, besides talking. Aria knew how she felt a few days ago, when Jason looked at her like that. She'd get a fluttering warm feeling in her stomach, it became hard to keep a smile off her face, and she'd begin anticipating when he would decide to kiss her. Tonight, she felt nothing. She tried, she imagined Jason without his shirt, she focused on how his scent was changing as he became sexually excited. She even tried picturing Mr. Fitz's face in front of Jason's, but her mind flatly refused to let her do that. She began to feel nauseous and she stopped trying. She couldn't do that, she couldn't even attempt it, ever again. Aria turned away from Jason and grabbed her water from the cup holder. She brought the bottle to her lips and tried to force some of it down her throat. She had to do something, fast. She couldn't just pretend to want him, he would absolutely notice if her scent didn't change. And once he figured out that she wasn't in the mood, only 2 days out from a full moon, he would know something was wrong. At that point, no amount of excuses or reassurances would stop Jason from getting to the bottom of it. The girls had decided Aria had a crush, other people probably noticed something too. Hell, just finding out that the new teacher was lykoi would be enough to send Jason over the edge once he suspected there was a problem in his and Aria's relationship. He would assume the worst, or the worst he could imagine. The truth was so much worse than anything Jason would ever think. Jason would sever all ties with Aria, he might fall off the wagon, he might even go after Mr. Fitz. AAAAAHHHHH! Aria couldn't figure all this out right this second.

She only had one idea, and it was insanely reckless, but she didn't see any other way. She put the bottle of water back, and faced Jason, again. He was eyeing her uncertainly, almost warily. It was now or never. She gave him a warm and encouraging smile. "Jas? Could you put the A/C on for a few minutes? I'm starting to feel hot, and I'm hoping we're about to make the car even hotter." Jason's sexy smile returned, and he caressed Aria's cheek.

"Anything for you, Cher. Your cheek is a little warm." When Jason turned his attention to the console, Aria reached to the back of her neck and unclasped her moonstone necklace. She let it slide down the inside of her top and land in her lap. Jason turned back to her and she grabbed her hair as if she was just trying to cool off. Next, Aria twisted and went up on her knees, as though she wanted to be closer to Jason. The necklace landed on the seat and she made sure to talk while she knocked the necklace to the floor, to cover any noise.

"Jason, please kiss me, I've missed you the last 2 days." The moonstone finally lost all contact with Aria's body and she felt herself start to get hot for real. They were almost through the dangerous time, and the energy seeped through her more slowly than she expected. But that was better, her arousal would seem to Jason like it was building, rather than hitting her like a tidal wave. Jason started to look sexier to Aria, his scent was now enticing. She still didn't really want to kiss Jason, but she wanted to kiss someone, and he was here. She tried to lean in, but he stopped her. He didn't like it when she was the aggressor, she never cared before, but now it annoyed her.

"Patience, little girl, I'll give you what you want, but when I say, right?" A small part of Aria was revolted. How had this never bothered her, before? But Aria's body didn't care if he called her another girl's name, it wanted to be touched, already. Jason looked at Aria and down at her seat. She huffed and returned herself to a normal sitting position. She rolled her eyes but feeling annoyed was fading away as sexual desire took over more and more of her mind. "Do you want me, Aria?" Jason sounded like he was teasing her for being so turned on. Obviously, he could see and smell just how excited she was. Aria disregarded the mocking in his voice and nodded, licking her lips. She was starting to regret taking off her necklace, she almost bent forward to retrieve it, but that was when Jason finally kissed her.

Pleasure exploded in Aria's body. Sure, she had a little trouble remembering who was kissing her, but she didn't care as long as they didn't stop. She pulled Jason to her, she tangled her hands in his hair. It was getting too long, maybe she could get him to cut it soon. It still wouldn't be curly, though.

"Jason? Could we pretty please get into the backseat? I want you to hold me closer." Jason looked at her and she could feel him weighing options. He was clearly enjoying himself, Aria could see the bulge in his jeans, and she knew he would want to please her and make her feel good. But they hadn't actually had sex since the betrothal. Jason told Aria that they couldn't risk it. She was barely 17 at that point, and if having sex started the binding process, they might be forced to separate all together. Jason said he couldn't risk forever with Aria, for passion right now. As her graduation got closer he was starting to restrict other things. They hadn't had oral sex in 3 months, and the last time they had gotten hot and heavy she'd had to actually beg before he would get her off, manually. She didn't know how he had the will power, but tonight, she was damn well going to test it. Aria bit her lower lip in a way she knew he loved and let herself whimper a little. Jason always said that sound was so sexy coming from her. He opened his eyes a little wider and started breathing a bit faster.

"Ok, but the clothes have to stay on, got it?" Aria nodded furiously. Jason got out of his side and opened the back door, Aria just climbed over the middle and got to the backseat before him. She invited him to climb on top of her, which he did. Once their bodies were pressed together, Jason moaned. So, he did still want her, that was reassuring, given that they were forever. But, no, they might not be. Aria let Jason fully take control, only following his lead. This let Aria use some of her mind to think. She was clearer headed, all of a sudden. Maybe it was because her body was finally getting what it wanted. Some of what it wanted, anyway. She wanted sex, she missed it, she craved it, and without the moonstone her body would keep demanding it. Aria also thought that having sex with Jason would help her erase anyone else from her head or heart. The best way would be to go ahead and bind herself to Jason.

What Aria needed to do became clear to her in that moment. Mr. Fitz didn't want anything to do with her, until he did, but tomorrow might bring another cold front from him. She was spending her life with Jason, she had gotten messed up for a day, but this was what she wanted. So, why were they waiting? So, what if her dad didn't like it? She was 18, she could legally get married. And if the pack got angry, she and Jason could go somewhere else. Moving away might be a good idea if Mr. Fitz planned to stay, anyway. She and Jason had to have sex, it wouldn't guarantee binding, but they loved each other so much, it was bound to take, right?

Jason had way too much self-control though, when it came to sex. Although, as Aria returned her attention to her body and his, she realized Jason was dry humping her and he was grunting. She should encourage him. "Oh, Ez-verything you're doing feels so good." SHIT, what was that? "Yeah, Jason, yeah, oh, Jason you make me so hot. Let me make you feel wonderful, let me feel more of your skin, please." Jason pulled his shirt off, Aria was shocked. How far could she get him to go? She ran her hands all over his torso and back. She moaned and whimpered for him, some of them were even involuntary. She shoved her hands into the waistband of his jeans and gripped his ass through his underwear. He growled and kissed her harder. He was forgetting his boundaries, that was good. He sucked on her neck and bit at the sensitive skin. His movements were getting closer to wolf play. She was past his defenses, he was going to take her, and she was going to love it. She pressed her hips up to increase the pressure and friction with his almost thrusts. She panted and whimpered, making her noises as wolf like as possible. Better she avoided words, anyway, especially names. Jason growled again and reached down and tore Aria's blouse apart. The move startled her a bit, he'd never destroyed her clothes, before. But it was kinda hot, how much he wanted her. She unhooked her bra to save it from a similar fate and Jason yanked it from her body. His eyes were practically black with lust. He attacked her mouth and kissed her fiercely. He sucked on her lips and tongue. It was like he wanted to consume her. His hands grabbed at her bare breasts and he ran his fingers all over her smooth skin.

Aria finally started to relax and lose herself in him. Her moans came faster and got louder, but Jason's hands suddenly slowed, he felt at her chest with something like purpose. He moved his hands to her neck and felt at it all the way around. His breathing slowed, and he sat up and stared at Aria. "Aria, where's your moonstone?" Aria's hand flew to her throat and she felt around her neck and shoulders.

"I, I don't know. I had it, I know I had it when we left." Aria had to make Jason believe it was an accident. She sat up and felt behind her on the seat and all along the floor. Jason hopped out of the backseat and walked around to the front passenger side. He opened the door and looked in the seat and felt around it.

"I found it." He held the necklace up triumphantly and Aria pretended to be relieved.

"Thank goodness. I would be heartbroken if I lost this. I've always felt like your mom must approve of us, since she let you have it to give to me." Jason held the necklace out to her and Aria took it, smiling as best she could.

"The clasp must be loose. When you were messing with your hair it must have come apart. Was that about the time climbing into the driver's seat on top of me started sounding like a good idea?" Aria gave a sheepish little giggle. She clasped the necklace around her neck and was suddenly very aware of her naked torso. She quickly searched for her bra and destroyed blouse. She had to cover more than just her body, though.

"I already wanted you so much I didn't even notice the change. I just thought I was getting more and more excited because we were getting lost in each other." Jason gave a short laugh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I don't really know what happened. You were just being so cute, so little and helpless, and without the moonstone your body must have been incredibly aroused, because the way the heat was coming off you, and the way you smelled, I just about lost control." Jason walked around the car to the driver's side and Aria climbed back into the front seat and closed her door. Now that the moonstone was back in place Aria had zero desire left. And the way Jason was talking was actually starting to make her uncomfortable. She prayed he wouldn't notice. Jason climbed into the driver's seat and closed his door. Aria handed him his shirt. He kissed her cheek and put it on. "Thanks, babe. Oh, and I'm sorry about your top, I shouldn't have done that. Sounded like a good idea in the moment. Please get that clasp fixed. If part of me hadn't realized the necklace wasn't there, we probably would have had sex." He looked at her for a couple seconds and she realized she was supposed to say something.

"Oh, yes, I will put the pendant on a different chain and take the chain to be fixed, tomorrow." Aria would actually have to do those things, she didn't want Jason to find out otherwise. Jason drove Aria straight home and she only felt relief. Everything was broken, and Aria had no idea how to fix any of it. Jason pulled up to Aria's house and Aria climbed out of the car. She zipped her jacket almost all the way up to cover for her non-existent shirt. She grabbed her stuff and walked around to the driver's side to kiss Jason, goodnight. The kiss was sweet, gentle, and loving.

"Hey, Ar? I know it's been hard on both of us to hold ourselves back from each other. I love you so much and want you so badly, I'm just trying to protect our future. You know that, right?" Aria smiled and nodded. She was so lucky to have Jason, he tried so hard. She'd find a way to fix it, damnit, she and Jason would make it. She owed it to him to fix it, he'd fixed so many things about himself for her.

"G'night." Aria heard Jason drive away once she walked through the front door. Finally alone, Aria began to cry.

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 **Phew! You made it to the other side, good show. I promise that Aria and Ezra will be face to face again in the next chapter. I do not promise it will be happy. And before any of you ask, no I will not kill Jason in a fiery car crash on his way to or back from Philly. Sorry. Have faith, I know where this is going. Review and maybe I'll draw you a map. Blessings to all!**


	12. The Empty Desk

**A/N: I like writing smut. Know why? It's fun, and it's easier. I always want to deliver quality writing in all my stories, but the ones that are mainly smut don't require as much effort. I can write without doing a deep dive into the world and characters. I don't demand as much from those stories. Stories like this and Little Sparks are harder. I have to try to think like traumatized Ezra, I have to take on Aria's wolf-based perspective. I'm justifying the long delay. I hope you guys hang in there with me. I love this story, and there's so much left to tell, I may pick a good "ending" for this story and continue it in a sequel. Unless you guys want a single story that's over 100,000 words. Let me know!**

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Chapter 12

Ezra got up from his desk for the third time in 10 minutes. He'd freshened his coffee, put worksheet packets on every student's desk, and now he walked to the windows and looked out at the dark roiling sky. The rain had paused, but the sky indicated that it was by no means done. He watched as bulky bundles of fabric, some with umbrellas floating above them, trudged despondently into the school. If it had been actively raining, the students would have raced in. As it was, his class began to trickle in, like the small leak in the corner of the room that was slowly filling his trashcan.

Ezra was restless and impatient. He had woken to find that the book of mythology had lost most of its scent. It was hard for him to believe how alone that made him feel. Being alone had always been the only way that Ezra felt safe. Being alone allowed him to think clearly, without fear of judgement or the expectations of others. Being alone let Ezra relax, when he was with anyone else he could never shake the feeling that he needed to be on guard, ready for unexpected attacks. It was never a good idea for him to be relaxed with other people, that went double for sleeping. He had tried spending the night with his first couple of serious girlfriends, to disastrous results. He learned not to bring girls to his house, Wesley would make comments alluding to Ezra's lycanthropy that he assumed were indecipherable and hilarious. They usually fell flatter than a pancake and tended to make it sound like Wesley feared for the girl's safety. Dianne made it worse, a universally true statement, by looking at Ezra with such contempt and suspicion, it was a wonder the girls didn't decide Ezra was a serial killer. Even with the precaution of being at the girls' apartments, however, he still felt exposed. Maggie, his "first", asked him in the morning if he'd been having nightmares. She told him he'd been whimpering and muttering. Then he'd clearly said, "Please, Archer, stop!" Ezra never spent another night, there. A couple of years later, he didn't even make it through an overnight at Jackie's. He had his own apartment by then, but he was used to not having girls in his personal space. He woke up, in the middle of the night, to a painful stinging in his cheek. He lashed out at his attacker and it was several seconds before his mind was clear enough to realize that he had his hands wrapped around Jackie's throat. After several minutes of apologizing and making sure Jackie was all right, Ezra gave-up trying to explain that he'd been disoriented and would never lay a hand on her, intentionally. She had slapped him when shaking him and yelling at him to wake up had proven insufficient. She had been bothered by the whimpering and muttering. He avoided her calls for 2 weeks, and after that, he bolted from her apartment anytime he started to feel sleepy.

Now, all of a sudden, being alone felt lonely. It wasn't that feeling lonely was strange, it was strange for it to be situational. Ezra was used to feeling lonely all of the time. If anything, the feeling was worse when he was with, yet separate from, other people. But now that Aria and Maddie were in his life, that was changing. They were only the second and third people not in his family to know what he was. And they were the first 2 people, in his entire life, that were accepting of it. Now, Ezra had to fight to get that acceptance back, with Aria. He stared at her empty desk, willing her to appear there. He was going to give her a short letter, apologizing and trying to explain what his reasoning had been, and confessing what an idiot he had been. He avoided using words like love or passion, he didn't want to disrespect her current relationship, but he made it clear that he wanted to be a part of her life and he included his phone number. Hopefully he would be able to pass it to her, discreetly, and she would be moved enough to at least talk to him. Ezra walked back to his desk and sat down.

When the bell rang, Aria's desk was still stubbornly empty. Was she avoiding class? Ezra had avoided going to class until the last moment the previous day, entirely so he could put off dealing with Aria. But the bell had rung, Aria was late, or she wasn't coming. Heaving a great sigh, Ezra stood and turned his back to the class to write key terms for the worksheets, on the board. He was setting the chalk down when, over the smell of damp clothing and rain, Ezra smelled her scent. He breathed his first deep breath since the night before. He couldn't suppress the smile he now wore, and he felt a lot more positive as he turned around. But, Aria's desk was still empty. Ezra knew he must look a bit manic as his eyes flew around the room, searching. They finally landed on her in the back-row. She was sitting low in the seat, making her seem even smaller than usual. She was wearing tight black jeans and an oversized deep purple sweater. She had a dark blue floppy knit hat over her magnificent dark chocolate hair and most of her face was hidden by large, dark sunglasses.

Even so, Ezra knew the moment her eyes locked onto his. He felt a crackling energy between them. From across the large classroom he could feel her presence. The connection was strong enough that Ezra knew if he closed his eyes he would be able to point directly at Aria, wherever in the room she was. Students weren't allowed to wear sunglasses in class, so Ezra mimicked removing them. Aria shook her head. O…..K? Ezra would deal with that in a minute. "Morning, guys. Thank-you all for braving the typhoon. I wish we were reading The Tempest so I could make a really corny joke, but all of Hamlet's storms take place inside the castle. Yes, Spencer." Ezra acknowledged the tall, lanky brunette at the front of the room.

"Tropical cyclones are only called typhoons when they originate in the western Pacific and surrounding southern Asia. When they form in the Atlantic they're referred to as hurricanes, but that's only in the tropical zone. Severe cyclones that form this far north are often Nor'easters, but this storm is more in the shape of a band, rather than a cyclone, so it's just considered a bad storm." Spencer sat back, with a very pleased look on her face. Ezra thought about defending his choice of words as being more artful than anything else, but he had known exactly none of the information that Spencer just shared, so he thanked her instead.

Several of the kids had rolled their eyes while Spencer was talking. Davey went so far as to twirl his pointer finger next to his head. Ezra was really starting to hate that kid. Hanna and Emily exchanged glances and smiled, but, of course, Ezra was most interested in Aria's reaction. She crossed her arms over her chest and hung her head. Ezra could see her take a shuddering breath and then she wiped at her cheeks. Why had that made Aria cry?

Ezra outlined the packets for everyone and set them to work. Soon, everyone was busy, except for Aria. She didn't have a packet because she wasn't in her usual seat. It was exactly the excuse that Ezra needed. He scooped the packet off the empty desk and walked it back to her. He pulled the note out of his pocket and held it hidden in his palm. "Are you being hounded by the paparazzi, Miss Montgomery?" He smiled at her, and for half a second, she smiled back. But it faded. She shook her head, slowly.

"Allergies," she responded, with almost no emotion in her voice, at all. Ezra considered her explanation. She was suffering with allergies, in September, in the middle of a rainstorm. It was possible, but…

"Aria?" He said her name kindly, in a gentle tone of voice. Aria shivered, and Ezra stepped back a bit to stop himself from wrapping his arms around her. Aria slowly slid the sunglasses off her face. Behind them, her eyes were puffy and red. They looked like Aria had been awake the whole night, crying. Ezra's heart fell into his feet, what had he done to her? Was this just because of him? It felt egotistical to assume it was all about him, but who else would be stupid enough to mistreat her? "Aria, I…" Ezra whispered. She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. Her stare wasn't as cold as it had been the day before, but it was harder, like stone. Ezra swallowed the rest of what he'd been about to say.

Aria reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. She held it out for him to take. "I need to get you to sign this for me, please. I'd like to turn it in today." Ezra took the sheet and read it. It was a transfer request, Aria wanted to transfer from his A.P. class into regular English with Mr. King. Ezra's stomach joined his heart in his overcrowded feet. He crumpled the note in his hand and shoved it back into his pocket. It was obviously going to be woefully insufficient.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do? Mr. King's class won't prepare you for the test, you'd be giving up any chance at college credit." Ezra hated that Aria wanted to be away from him so much that she would give up her favorite subject. Aria continued to look at him with a determined look in her bloodshot eyes.

"I think everyone, including me, will be happier." That was the furthest thing from the truth, but Ezra risked breaking down if he pursued it any further. He left the packet on her desk and returned to his own, clutching the transfer request. She hated him, she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him. He sat down, feeling defeated. ' _Everyone will be happier',_ everyone. Who was everyone? Ezra looked up at Aria and saw that she was staring at her packet. His eyes traveled around the room, most of the kids were working. His eyes stopped at Aria's previous desk. Its emptiness looked wrong, Aria's group was still all there. Emily turned in her seat and looked back at Aria, then turned back around and the look on her face was pained. Ezra wondered if Aria had changed seats to be further away from her friends as well as him. She had cried when Spencer spoke, he didn't remember the girls having any interaction the previous day, and Aria had definitely left class without them. Had they had a falling out? Were her best friends the rest of "everyone"? If he was right, then Aria didn't hate him. She was running away. Ezra was a master of running away. He was making plans to run away from Rosewood, just the night before. But Aria was stronger than he was, he felt how strong her heart was in everything she said and did. He couldn't let her just run away. Which meant he couldn't let himself run away, either.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Ezra was almost gratified to see that Spencer, Emily, and Hanna left without a word to Aria. He was right. Spencer did look at the transfer request laying on his desk and she grimaced. Ezra caught her eye and she blushed and looked away, ashamedly. Whatever was going on, the girls missed each other. Ezra knew that Aria had to come talk to him before she left, so he sat back and waited. A minute later, Aria approached the desk. She reached out and picked up the paper, clearly planning on grabbing it and leaving without a word. But, she didn't really have that option.

"You didn't sign it, why?" Aria looked at the paper, giving no indication that she was trying to have an actual conversation.

"I'm sorry, Miss Montgomery, but I don't have time, right now." That answer hit Aria and suddenly Ezra was looking into her shocked, and indignant, eyes.

"You don't have time? All you have to do is sign your name!" Ezra looked into Aria's beautiful face and felt a protectiveness that he'd never imagined he would ever feel. No one took care of him, and he only took care of himself. But he wanted, no he needed, to take care of Aria. She wasn't going to like this exchange, but for once, Ezra was certain about something to do with Aria.

"No, that isn't all I have to do. It says here I have to approve of the transfer, and I'm not sure that I do." Ezra was straight-forward and matter-of-fact. It seemed to wind Aria up, even more. She ducked her head and looked at him from the tops of her eyes.

"Are you serious?" Her tone of voice wasn't flat out rude, but it was exasperated.

"I am completely serious. Now, I will take this home with me and I will give it 'serious' thought. I promise to return it to you, tomorrow." By the suffering expression on Aria's face, waiting one day was torturous to her. Which just proved that she was making this move out of fear and desperation, and not because it was what she genuinely wanted. She slowly and carefully placed the paper back on Ezra's desk. He imagined she was fighting to not shove it down his throat. "Fighting" with her this way was actually invigorating. He felt a little guilty admitting to himself that he was having fun.

"Tomorrow then. Thank-you, Mr. Fitz." Aria practically stomped out of the room. Her thank-you had sounded a lot more like fuck you, Mr. Fitz. Ezra chuckled, maybe he actually could handle this. All he needed to do now, was to figure out a way to approach her that she wouldn't expect.

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 **I love the moments when it's like Ezra remembers, '** _ **Oh, shit! I'm, like, a grown-up. Maybe I shouldn't rely on my teenage girlfriend to make all the decisions and reassure me all the time**_ **.' I know it was one of the ways that the show kept their relationship on equal footing. Aria was clearly the more mature of the two, but sometimes I just want to shake Ezra from seasons 1-3 and say "Man up! Do more stuff like the limo thing! Sweep the girl off her feet." I am nowhere near done with little boy Ezra, but man Ezra will be making regular appearances as well. Next chapter, though, who wants to see Aria go after Jenna, Ali style? (no bombs, I swear) Review if you do, blessings to all!**


	13. Harpy

**A/N: Hey strangers, (meant to convey that it has been a long time since I've posted, but also you are strangers to me, but you can never be stranger** **than** **me). This is short and sweet, but I am breaking off the rest to finish it and still give you** **something** **.**

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Chapter 13

"Finally! There you are, is this where you've been hiding all week?" Aria looked up from Daughter of Fortune, by Isabel Allende. She loved the novel and the idea of running away, chasing a dream, and reinventing herself; as the heroine in the story had done, was exceedingly appealing. She set the book aside and gave Toby a weak smile as he strode across the library to her table.

"I'm not hiding. I wanted to avoid the madhouse in the cafeteria. You know I can't stand it when everyone is forced to eat inside. It's so crowded and loud." Aria tried to stop herself from rambling. She made her excuse weaker by adding too much to it.

"Uh-huh. And yesterday? Monday? You haven't been in there the whole week." Toby pulled a chair out and sat facing Aria. It felt like he was planning on interrogating her. The thought annoyed her, but she'd put up with it, if she had to. She didn't think she could stand being at odds with anymore of the important people in her life.

"I've just needed someplace quiet. You may have heard that I am not fit to be around people, this week." Toby's expression softened and he reached out and put his hand on top of hers.

"I heard you were having a tough time, something about a bad vibe between you and the new teacher? I was shocked when I found out Mr. Fitz is part of our family." Aria tried to imagine laid-back, easy-going Toby, "shocked." "I thought you would be psyched about it. You're always saying our community is too small, that we need more of us. What's the problem with Mr. Fitz?" Aria wanted to laugh, and she wanted to cry. Mostly she wanted to scream, she couldn't get away from that man! She took a deep breath and tried not to betray any of her actual emotions to Toby.

"I prefer people who know how to act like human beings," Aria replied. Then, muttering under her breath, she continued, "Even if they're also Wolves. He's insufferable." She knew that Toby would hear her, and being careful about anyone else hearing was second nature to her. Stories and questions about the number of wolves in the forests around Rosewood were commonplace, but they couldn't risk renewing interest in the topic. Toby sighed.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but the answer is no," Toby said. Aria looked at Toby in confusion.

"What was the question?" Toby gave her a knowing smile.

"No, you may not transfer into my English class. You are way too smart to be in there." His response took Aria completely by surprise.

"How did you even know that I was…oh. Wow, you and Spencer actually talked to each other without me there as a buffer? I didn't know that was possible, sorry I missed it." Being happy that Toby and Spencer were interacting warred with being angry that Spencer was butting-in and trying to influence what happened in _Aria's_ life. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Toby arched an eyebrow at her.

"You know you always do that when you're done being angry with someone, but not done being stubborn. It was slightly cuter when you were 7." Aria rolled her eyes at Toby and he chuckled. "Spencer's worried about you. And she's afraid if you can avoid her all day, you'll never make-up. They all really miss you." Aria dropped her hands into her lap and slowly nodded her head.

"Thank you, Toby. I'll try to make myself call her tonight. I think I am done being stubborn. But, fyi, you're way too smart for that class, too." Toby smiled, then leaned forward and spoke in a low, conspiratorial voice.

"I don't want my dad to find that out. I prefer he not know I have a potential I'm not living up to."

"Oh, come on, your dad has to know how smart you are. How could he not?" Toby shrugged and sat back in his chair.

"My dad hasn't paid any attention to me since my mom's suicide. I think I remind him-" Toby was cut-off, midsentence, by another voice.

"Toby! What are you doing in here? Lunch is almost over." Jenna marched up to the table and stared reproachfully down at Toby. Her whiny voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Aria. Aria wasn't going to sit by and watch her run roughshod over Toby.

"He's talking with his friend, Jenna. He's allowed to do that, he isn't your footman." Aria couldn't understand why Toby wouldn't stand up to this harpy. Jenna turned her eyes away from Toby and stared at Aria, contemptuously.

"Oh, Aria, you're here and you're charming as always. Where are your friends? Are you lone-wolfing it?" Jenna smirked as if she was oh-so-clever. She was forever making little wolf comments to Aria. If any "outsider" ever picked up on them, Aria would claw her eyes out, with her real claws.

"You're just jealous that I have that option. A she-wolf can go where she wants and take care of herself. You're stuck just being a little bitch." Jenna's father was lykoi, but she took after her mortal mother. Aria knew that Jenna was incredibly bitter about it. Jenna pursed her lips and her face turned red. Aria wished Jenna was stupid enough to start something. Instead, she cleared her throat and put on her nastiest smile.

"Wow, well now I see why Jason spends so much of his time in the city." Aria was out of her chair and in Jenna's face before she could blink.

"You heinous, toxic litt-" Aria's voice died away, and she felt her eyes bulging out of their sockets. Toby jumped into the gap in the argument. He grabbed Jenna and steered her toward the library door. Aria was still frozen in disbelief when Toby came back. She stared at her friend, feeling like he was completely alien. His expression showed how uncomfortable he was. "Toby, what the hell?" Toby spoke on top of her.

"It's not what you think." Aria choked on her burst of laughter, barely bothering to entertain the notion that it wasn't what she thought.

"So, what, you and Jenna played a strenuous round of one-on-one basketball? Skins versus skins? Your scent is all over her!" Aria tried to keep her voice low, she could see a few pairs of eyes looking at her from around the library. Toby dropped heavily into his chair. He buried his head in his hands and took a couple shuddering breaths. Then he whispered so quietly that Aria had to kneel beside him and bring her ear close to him.

"She doesn't give me a choice." Aria tried to imagine how that would be possible. Toby was very passive and gentle, but he could hold Jenna off with one hand. She spoke very softly and gently to him.

"Toby why don't you-?" Toby lifted his face and stared intensely at Aria. His eyes shone with unshed tears.

"If I don't go along with what she wants, she'll tell our parents that I've been forcing myself on her. Jenna's mom thinks the sun shines out of Jenna's ass, and my dad will believe whatever my step-mom tells him to believe. She's also threatened to expose that the lykoi exist. She thinks it would be hilarious to watch all of the families sneak out of town before they're identified and have to start all over somewhere else. I don't want to find out if she's crazy enough to go through with it."

Aria seethed with rage and she spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna kill her. I swear, I will rip her limb from limb before I let her destroy our family." For the first time in days, Aria felt strong. She was a she-wolf, she was a beast, she was a fighter. And she never fought harder than she did for the people she loved. Aria silently thanked Jenna for reminding her of all those things. She could be grateful to Jenna and still tear out her throat, if she had to.

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 **So, there you go. The next chapter will have a bit of a reveal, and we'll see what Ezra came up with to approach Aria, again.**


	14. Stormy Outside, Inside Too

**A/N: Hey, everybody, nice to post for you again. This chapter starts off dealing with Aria's necklace. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted it to look like, and for once, I was successful finding an image on the internet that was perfect. I put the link on my profile page, for anyone who wants to see it. Catch you on the other side.**

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Chapter 14

Small bells gave a merry jingle as Aria pulled open the door of Cooke's Jewelry. She then had to pull it shut again, because the wind was demanding an open-door policy. Aria couldn't wait for this storm to pass through, already. Thunder rolled across the sky, a rebuke of Aria's feelings. It was becoming a theme in Aria's life. She righted her hat and peeled off her wet coat as a beautiful blonde walked into the front room. "Welcome to Cooke's Jewelry. How can I help you? Wait, Aria, is that you? Oh my god! You're so grown-up!" Aria felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hey, Samara, yeah it's been a long time. Five years, I think. How are you?" Aria smiled warmly at Samara, and returned the hug that she gave her. Samara had been Simone's best friend in high school. She would often come with Simone when she baby-sat Aria and Mike. Samara would bring her jewelry supplies and the three girls would make things while Mike played video games.

"I'm really good. I'm still making jewelry and slowly pushing my parents out the door, so I can have this place to myself. They say they'll officially retire in a few more years, but I think I can speed it up. I'm married now, and stupid happy. Quinn and I are even thinking about starting a family. How are you?" Samara moved back around to the other side of the counter.

"I'm good. I'm in my senior year, still have the same friends, mostly the same interests. I may look older, but I'm pretty much the same old Aria." Samara raised her eyebrows, seemingly doubting Aria's assertion.

"Do you ever hear from Simone?" Samara asked hesitantly. Aria gave her a sad smile.

"Not really, no. She's come home for Christmas a couple of times, but mostly her parents visit her. I think she's still in New York." Aria missed Simone, but Samara clearly missed her more.

"It was so strange, one minute we're bffs and then she decides to go to college in New York, and I never heard from her again. I was worried she'd only cut off contact with me. I'm kind of glad it was everybody, is that horrible?" Aria shook her head.

"No, of course not. It's comforting to know it wasn't personal, I understand. I guess Simone didn't feel like Rosewood was home anymore. But hey, you're stupid happy, remember?" Samara nodded and gave herself a shake. Aria wished she could explain to her what had really happened with Simone. Both of Simone's parents were doctors and both were lykoi. There'd never been any doubt that Simone would be lykoi, too. When she got to eighteen without shifting, it broke her heart. She threw out her plan to go to Hollis and went to New York, instead. She told Aria she couldn't stay in a place where her life was supposed to be when she would never become the person she was supposed to be.

"Well, I know you didn't come here to listen to me blather, what do you need?" Samara slipped into her professional persona. Aria reached around to the back of her neck and unclasped her necklace. She had the tree necklace in her bag, in case she needed it, but she should be fine without a moonstone at this point.

"My chain isn't staying latched, properly. The necklace is really old, so I wanted to get it fixed by professionals." Aria had fiddled with and pulled at the clasp until it was fairly loose. She hated the amount of work that went into lying. She handed the necklace to Samara. Samara took the chain in her hands and examined the clasp.

"Huh, Aria, how old do you think this necklace is?" Aria started, it was a strange question.

"Well, it's a family heirloom, not my family, but I think it's from the 1930s-1940s. Why?" Aria hoped Samara didn't say it couldn't be fixed, if Aria had broken Jason's necklace and couldn't get it fixed…

"I'm sorry to tell you this, hun, but this necklace is nowhere near that old. See the clasp on the chain? It's called a lobster claw. Jewelers didn't start making these until the 1980s." Samara grimaced as she continued to carefully examine the entire necklace. Aria's stomach began to churn, but she kept her cool.

"Oh, well, his mom must have replaced the chain at some point, people do that all the time right?" Aria tried to catch Samara's eye, hoping to be reassured.

"They dooo…ugh, Aria, I'm so sorry. This is none of my business, but whoever gave you this necklace, lied to you. I would feel worse if I didn't tell you the truth. The necklace was made in the mid to late 90's, minimum. The pendant is a Columbine flower." Aria nodded her head and cut Samara off.

"I know, it has a different name in Italy. It's one of the symbols of the family line." Aria was starting to feel flushed and the churning in her stomach was becoming pronounced. Samara shrugged at Aria's information.

"Ok, sure. Well, I can't tell you anything about the age of the stone, but the silver petals are ridged and look almost crinkled. You create that look in metal through a process called fold-forming. And it wasn't even invented until the late 80s. It wasn't shared with other jewelers until the 90s. I feel like I've seen a necklace like this, before. Where did I…" Samara trailed off, but Aria wasn't listening, anyway. Her head was spinning. The necklace was less than 30 years old. Was it possible, at all, that Mrs. Dilaurentis lied to Jason? Did she give Jason a meaningless necklace, so she didn't have to part with something special? Did she think so little of Aria? "Aha! That's where it was. I saw stuff like this at that occult store, back when I was in high school. Simone used to like to go there, sometimes. The lady always had beautiful stuff. Did you still want me to fix it?"

Aria nodded, mutely. The necklace was from Maddie's store. Mrs. Dilaurentis wouldn't be caught dead in Maddie's store. Which meant, in all likelihood, Jason purchased the necklace, himself. Why would he lie to her about that? Why did he pretend it was his mother's? And why had he bought it? It was a very feminine necklace, so it couldn't have been for himself. And if he bought it more than 5 years ago, it certainly wasn't for her. Who was supposed to get her necklace and why didn't he give it to them?

* * *

Aria dragged herself through the back door into her warm and blessedly dry kitchen. She had left the jewelry store in such a daze that she forgot to put her coat back on. The wind was too strong to bother with an umbrella and Aria only realized how drenched she was when she was in her car, headed home. Her teeth were chattering as she hung her neglected coat on a hook near the door. She dropped her bags and went straight to the laundry room. She pulled off her dripping wet sweater and water-logged hat. She laid them out over the washer and grabbed a towel to dry her hair.

"Aria? Is that you, Honey?" Aria heard Byron call to her from the direction of his office/den.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm home. Sorry I'm late, but I had an errand to run," Aria called back to him as she finished drying her hair and putting the wet towel next to her sweater and hat.

"That's fine, Sweetie. Can you come into the den, please?" Aria sighed. She had planned to go upstairs, change into sweats, and sleep.

"Coming," Aria replied. She grabbed her hoodie out of the hall closet and slipped it on over her damp singlet. If she had been well rested and thinking clearly, she would have had more warning. There were clues, an unfamiliar car parked at the curb, an extra umbrella dripping on the mat near the back door, and his incredible scent. But none of it registered with Aria until she was only steps away from the den. Her fingers froze as she was fitting the zipper of her hoodie together. She wanted to turn tail and run, but she'd already told Byron she was coming. Why? Why was he here? Why was he talking with her dad? She resigned herself to having to face him and chided the part of her that was jumping up and down with excitement. She pushed open the swinging door and there he was.

Ezra, damn it, Mr. Fitz, jumped up from the sofa and faced Aria as she entered the den. His face lit up with a smile and Aria couldn't stop herself from smiling back. He was so damn beautiful. His curly hair looked damp and mussed, hanging down in front of his forehead. His gorgeous blue eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a little as he took in her appearance. She knew her hair was still wet-looking and drying it with the towel had probably given it a bit of a wild look. His eyes moved down her body and she could feel his gaze becoming more and more heated. He seemed to struggle to move his eyes off her chest and she remembered that she hadn't gotten her hoodie zipped. He licked his lips and Aria breathed in sharply. She wanted him so much, the sexual energy between them was palpable. Aria dug her nails into her palms and bit down hard on the inside of her lower lip. It was all she could do to not launch herself at him. She felt a buzzing energy that resolved into a throbbing between her legs. It wasn't like when she'd removed her moonstone necklace with Jason. That desire had been unfocused, her body had been like a needy child demanding soothing and attention from whoever. This desire was laser-focused on the man in front of her. The rest of the world could burn to the ground, her body wanted Mr., oh to hell with it, Ezra. Her body wanted Ezra, only Ezra. Aria felt her willpower slipping away and it terrified her.

A pair of lips pressed against the side of her head, and Aria jumped. The shock allowed her to finally tear her eyes away from Ezra. She thought she and Ezra had been staring at each other for a long time, but Byron had just walked from behind his desk to greet her. "Hey, Sweetie, how was school?" Aria turned to her dad and smiled. She prayed he didn't pick up on the crazy energy in the room. He was fairly oblivious, usually, so there was at least a chance. She cleared her throat, before attempting to speak.

"Stormy." Aria heard a quiet snort of laughter and, without thinking, turned and looked at Ezra. Thankfully, he was sitting again, and his face was buried in his bag, searching for something. Aria saw him discreetly slip his ring onto his hand while he made a show of pulling out a few papers. That was an excellent idea. "I'm sorry, please excuse me. I'll be right back." Aria flew out of the den and down the hall back to the kitchen. She opened her bag and pulled out the tree of life necklace. She also grabbed a hairbrush, a hair tie, and her compact. She fastened the jewelry around her neck, yanked the brush through her hair a couple times before tying it up in a high ponytail, and checked in her compact mirror that she didn't have raccoon eyes or streaks running down her face. Finally, she zipped up her hoodie and returned to the den.

Byron was sitting in the club chair and he and Ezra were talking. Aria went and stood in front of the fireplace and addressed herself to her dad. "Sorry about that. I didn't know that we had company." Aria faced Ezra and deliberately put an awkward smile on her face, the kind that a student would give a teacher in a normal world. "Hi, Mr. Fitz. It's quite a surprise to see you here." Ezra cocked an eyebrow at her and their eyes met. The energy was still there, but it was tamped down, a camp-fire rather than the raging inferno she'd felt before. Ok, it was more like a bonfire, but it was still manageable. Then Aria noticed that Ezra was also putting off a nervous energy. What did he have to be nervous about? She hadn't ambushed him at home.

"Ezra came by to introduce himself and to bring you information about the Advanced Placement program. He said you weren't sure about whether or not you wanted to take the test? Why in the world wouldn't you take the test?" Being a college professor, Byron took education very seriously. Aria closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. Getting defensive wasn't going to help. Did Ezra get off on putting Aria in stressful situations?

"I'm going to take the test, Byron, don't worry. Mr. Fitz just caught me in a bad moment." Aria started playing with her hands and staring down at them. Her eyes kept flickering up at Ezra, his focus was on her. He started this, he pushed this, so now he had to hear this. "It's been hard. English used to be the class I looked forward to the most. Now I don't even want to go. I don't know if I'm gonna be ignored, or confronted, provoked, or told to go away. I don't feel like myself and I don't want to feel jerked around, anymore."

Aria lifted her head after she finished speaking. She looked directly at Ezra, not with anger or recrimination, and not with lust or longing. She asked a simple question with her eyes _. Can you understand how I feel?_ Ezra's expression was very serious. Aria might have thought he was angry or closing himself off, if not for his eyes. His eyes were deep pools of guilt and regret. They begged for her forgiveness more passionately than words ever could. She could feel how much he wanted to make things better. It was a start.

Byron stood and brought Aria into a protective hug. "Sweetheart, I had no idea that things with the girls were so bad. I'm honestly shocked they haven't begged for your forgiveness after the way they treated you. Do you want Ella or me to step in and call their folks?" Aria shook her head. "Do you want me to howl under their windows so they can't get any sleep?" Aria pushed back from the hug and smirked at her dad while she rolled her eyes. "A couple of dead squirrels on each of their porches would certainly send a message." That one made Aria laugh.

She didn't wait to finish laughing before she retorted, "what message? I'm a psychotic cat, I left presents for you?" Byron grimaced and slowly nodded his head.

"Ah-yeah. That is kind of a cat thing, isn't it? Maybe I should let you handle it. But Aria, you are going to handle it, right? Leaving bad situations unresolved doesn't stop them from hurting, it stops them from ending." Aria gave Byron a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank-you, Father-Fortune-Cookie. I already promised Toby I would call Spencer, tonight."

"Good, I'm proud of you. You know what else sounds good? Fortune cookies; should I ask your mom to swing by Mr. Chung's on her way home?" Byron turned and walked to his phone on its charger, before Aria even replied.

"Mmm, yes please. Don't forget the kung pao." Aria was feeling better, genuinely better. Then Byron threw a curve ball.

"Ezra, would you like to join us for dinner? We always get too much food." Aria's heart stopped, for a second. Spend more time with Ezra? That would be hell, and heaven, at the same time. At least Jason was gone and wouldn't be showing up, unannounced. Ezra looked questioningly at Aria. She smiled at him.

"Yeah, Mr. Fitz, you should stay. We wouldn't want to send you out in the storm without at least feeding you. You know, unless you don't like Chinese food." Ezra's whole face changed when Aria encouraged him to say yes. Everything softened for a moment, like he'd released tension that had been there long enough to alter his features. He seemed to like her teasing, too.

"Aria, I grew up in New York City. Of course, I like Chinese food. And thank-you both. I would love to stay." Ezra looked pointedly at Aria and her stomach flipped. She had the distinct impression he didn't just mean for dinner.

* * *

 **Aww, the emotional roller coaster that is our beloved Ezria. What did you guys think of how Aria confronted Ezra? I'm a sap, I could write an entire scene where they just look into each other's eyes. Hell, I practically already have. Next chapter, Ezra has never had a family to eat take-out Chinese with before. Can he handle Aria's? Will the rest of the family be as oblivious to Ezria's connection as Byron? Will they remember Aria's kung pao? All of these questions and more will be answered, soon I swear. Blessings to all**


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